TLOD:The Next Generation: Shadow Dragoon
by Archangel and Spike
Summary: Sequel to TLOD: The Next Generation. The Divine Dragoon is knocked out of commission by an unseen evil. Can the lesser Dragoons face up to such a foe? Final Chapter up! Enjoy!
1. Surprise!

The Legend of Dragoon: The Next Generation

Shadow Dragoon

By Spike and Archangel

Chapter One: Surprise!

Robert Williams knew his basketball team was only a few wins away from being regional champions. Perhaps that was why he felt the need to cheat.

The score was tied in the last quarter, but Rob wouldn't have it. He was not going into overtime for anybody; they were going to win and they were going to win right now.

Last jump of the game with only a few seconds left. Robert faced off with his opponent, one of the few people as tall as he was. It was anybody's game now. The ref tossed the ball and both men jumped.

Rob's hand got it first! His teammate snatched it and evaded a blocker perfectly and began dribbling the ball. Rob was already running down the court. The player with the ball found himself stuck in a spot and quickly threw the ball to Rob. He had already stolen a glance at the clock and saw there was almost no time left. Rob jumped up and shot the ball.

Time froze for a bit.

Rob had a feeling the ball wouldn't make the hoop, so he decided to help it. With everybody's eyes on the ball, he could make his move. Discretely, Robert flicked his wrist. To anyone else, it would seem that the ball bounced off the rim and miraculously made it into the net. But in truth, with that flick of his wrist, Robert created a gust of wind so centered to be powerful enough to knock the ball into the net.

Just as the ball went in, the buzzer went off and the crowd went wild. Robert shot his hands up in triumph. He just won them the game and nobody would know.

Then, Rob saw him in the stands.

Well…_he_ might know…

* * *

Sean McMann did know. He had come to the game that night, which was a surprise to Robert. Upon that last shot, the spherical gray necklace with a red reptilian pupil around his neck began to shimmer. A dragon's presence, or the presence of its power was evident.

Robert had used his powers to help him win a basketball game. Sean shook his head.

"I didn't even think Rob could stoop so low."

"What?" His girlfriend, Melissa, asked over the cheering. "Why aren't you cheering?"

"You'll understand in a bit." Sean replied.

He got a chance to talk to Rob after he got out of the locker room.

"Hey, Sean!" Rob said.

"Impressive." Sean said. "Nobody will even guess."

"What are you talking about?" Melissa asked.

"Why don't you tell her, Rob?"

He wasn't so happy about that, but if he didn't say it, Sean would.

"I, uh…I used my Dragoon powers to push the ball into the net."

Melissa's eyes shot open. "You _what_!"

Robert threw his arms in the air. "We are this close to being the champs!"

"If you can't do it yourself, it isn't worth doing." Sean told him. "I don't want to see that again, alright?"

Robert sighed. "Alright, alright. No more powers. I'll fight fair."

"Good."

At that point, another player came up from the locker room. He was also fairly tall with thin, dark brown hair and medium frame.

"Good game, Rob." He said. Then, he stopped at the sighed of her. "Hey, Melissa."

"Hi, Adam." Melissa said.

"Don't think I've met you." Sean said.

"Oh," He shook his hand. "Adam Young."

"He's my lab partner-and he's pretty smart." Melissa complimented him. "Adam, this is Sean McMann, my boyfriend."

"Oh?" Adam said. "Nice, uh…nice to meet you."

"Likewise." Sean said.

"Well, um, I gotta go, so…see ya later." He headed out the door.

"We should probably get going too." Melissa encouraged.

"Alright." Sean agreed. "See you tomorrow, Rob. One o'clock sharp."

"As always." Rob rolled his eyes. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some cheerleaders to attend to."

He walked over to them.

"Hello, ladies."

"Hey, Rob!" Several of them cooed. It was evident that several of them wanted this basketball star.

"That was a great last shot!" One of the girls complimented.

"Yeah!" Another girl took his arm. "You're so strong…"

Robert just smiled, basking in the glory.

The many girls walked out with him, each giving their fair share of compliments. While being lavished with attention, Robert did not notice someone else watching him. She wasn't a cheerleader; she was just another fan in the stands. For a while, she had been watching Robert from afar, never daring to actually go up to him.

Probably for the better, she figured. A guy of that popularity would never talk to her anyway…

"Gotta get some things through that head of his." Sean muttered as he and Melissa headed out.

"His head is as thick as a rock." Melissa said. "Look at the bright side. He's a good fighter and he knows when to be serious, right?"

"To an extent." Sean pointed out. "Ah, whatever. I'll just make his training all the harder." He had to grin.

Melissa laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. He put his arm around her and they walked off together.

* * *

You might have already guessed that there is an abnormality or two about a few of these characters, and in truth, there are. Sean, Melissa, and Robert weren't normal teens. They had been given a very special gift: the powers of dragons. They were the legendary warriors known as Dragoons.

A Dragoon gets it power from a dragon that has deceased. Its spirit remains alive in the form of a small orb resembling a dragon's eye. Each one was from a different dragon, so each of them had different powers. Whatever the powers, however, the dragoons work in the same way. Upon request, they can transform themselves into incredible warriors lined with armor from the dragons' flesh and with the dragons' skills at their command.

Dragons choose the human to give their powers to; they have a consciousness. Over time, each of them had obtained their own spirit in a number of ways, but most of them had only learned of their powers about two years past.

It began with Sean. His powers were given to him by a wingly woman named Anna who later became his stepmother. She tried to teach him, but was killed by a powerful demon named Zackwell, whom Anna trapped in a world a light to make him suffer forever. Sean distanced himself from the world for a while. Years later, he moved to a different town and met the other Dragoons and taught them everything. With Melissa's help, he came out of his shell.

Sean was an incredible warrior; he had many years of experience and training under his belt. He fought with a Claymore, a long, powerful steel sword form from the scales of his dragon companion, the Divine Dragon. Such a Dragoon has no element and needs none; its powers far exceed those of any other dragoon. Sean naturally became the leader of the dragoons due to his experience, skill, and power. He led them to destroy any evil that might threaten the human race. Sean was a bit tall for his age with fairly long blonde hair covering his head.

Robert was the Jade Dragoon, Dragoon of wind. Those were the powers he used to win the game. Robert was an impressive fighter as well. He used a spear, which gave him endless possibilities in combat. His elemental powers were also very useful. His power made flying easier by changing the wind current. It was also used to repel attacks and crush an enemy by increasing the air pressure around them. Robert was good, but sometimes, he let it get to his head. Even so, he was a valuable asset to the team.

Melissa O'Riley was the Dark Dragoon, using the powers of the night to dominate in battle. This included draining her opponents' energy or even pulling them into a parallel dimension of pain. Melissa fought with a rapier, a long, thin sword used mostly for stabbing. She learned to be light on her feet in fighting to be able to plant several deadly slashes in a small amount of time. Melissa was a stunning figure. She was a tad taller than most girls, had long, black hair, and kept herself in top physical condition. Many guys adored her, but she stayed loyal to Sean. Melissa had always been the typical tough girl. She didn't let anybody mess with her and if they tried, she beat them up. She head earlier learned simple combat from her brother, who was also a Dragoon.

Mike Edwards was the Golden Dragoon, Dragoon of earth. His powers mostly lie in his physical strength. The Golden Dragoon is the physically strongest of them all. Because of this, Mike's weapon was a giant axe as big as he was. In human form, he could still carry the axe, but it was a burden sometimes because he was slower. In Dragoon form, he was a bit faster, but still the slowest of the Dragoons. And even though he packed a heck of a punch, his magical powers were not all that strong. He could still control the earth, but it was a chore making it do enough damage sometimes. Mike was often called a soft giant. He was very strong and his body showed it, yet he was very kindhearted under it all. Most of his strength came from his natural instinct to protect his twin sister.

Melissa and Mike had been split up after a divorce when they were ten, but still managed to see each other. When their father died, Mike was forced to live with his mother, with whom he did not see eye-to-eye. Things hadn't gotten much better between them over the years.

Mike and Melissa were both running at full speed now. Melissa knew she had to get there fast or he'd catch up to her. That was the thing about Mike. He couldn't accelerate very fast at all, but if he actually got going, he really got going. He was like a train, and he was picking up speed.

She poured all her strength into her legs and ran faster, her heart pounding at a million beats a second. Almost there! She slid to a stop and touched the first tree amongst the woods.

However, as you may know, trains do not stop too fast. Mike saw he was losing and tried stopping early, but to no avail he skidded and hopped and ran right into the trees and fell onto his back.

Melissa loomed over him. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Mike's eyes rolled around in his head. "Which one of you wants to know?"

"That'll work." She pulled him onto his feet and he stumbled around.

"We can't race anymore I don't think." Mike said.

"That's the third time you've said that."

"I'm sticking to it this time."

"That's what you said last time."

"Yeah, yeah." They pressed on into the woods. It was very thick and a bit difficult to manage for an inexperienced person. However, the Dragoons came her many days and they were used to it. Not too deep into the woods, there was a vast, green clearing. This was perfect for training and it was complete with a small lake towards one end.

Ben and Brittany were already sparring when Mike and Melissa arrived.

Ben Freeman was Sean's best friend and right-hand man. He was of average height with a slightly large frame and black hair. His Dragoon seemed to excel amongst the elemental Dragoons. They concluded that his dragon was simply more powerful than the others'. Ben was the Red-Eye Dragoon, Dragoon of fire. This element, of course, is naturally powerful and when under his command, Ben could create a great flame or an explosive of sorts, thus giving him a cutting edge in magic using. However, Ben was also very talented with a blade. He used a katana so he was both fast and strong. He was a great warrior overall, but on the inside, Ben was completely different. He was a total goof, and a romantic to boot. Every transition from human to warrior was amazing.

Ben's opponent, Brittany Frost, was the Blue-Sea Dragoon, Dragoon of water. A young woman with an enormous spirit. It was often questioned how so much energy could be wrapped in such a small package. Brittany often complained about that statement; she wasn't all that short, really, but she had a small frame and a thin body. Her hair was a light brown tone and she always kept it in a ponytail as not to hinder her in fighting. Brittany fought with an odd weapon: a mallet with a long handle. As unique as it was, it was surprisingly powerful. It easily knocked out several enemies if used right. However, Brittany's strength wasn't so hot due to her small frame, but what she lacked in that area, she made up for in speed and magical talent. She was the fastest Dragoon and her powers over water and ice were nearly unmatched. Brittany was a cheerful girl and her wild attitude always left you with a smile.

Brittany swung twice with her mallet and Ben jumped back to avoid it. Ben swung a sideways swipe. Brittany bent back to go under it, then swung her mallet over her head. Ben pulled back and leaned further back and blocked the attack, then kicked her mallet away from him and thrust his sword at her. Brittany spun to the side to avoid the attack and swung her mallet with it. She got him behind his knee, toppling him.

To her surprise, Ben was able to catch himself on a hand and block the next strike, then flip his other foot into the air, catching her side and knocking her over. Ben rolled and put the tip of his blade to her throat.

"You're dead." Ben declared.

Brittany flopped onto the ground and sighed. "I thought I had you there."

Ben stood up and extended his hand to help her up. She kicked the hand away and got up on her own. She walked over to her boyfriend, Brad, faced him, and rested her head on his chest. Brad laughed and wrapped his arms around her.

Brad Sparks was the Violet Dragoon, Dragoon of Thunder. He was the all-around guy. He was of average height, weight, strength, and magical power. He used his fists and feet in battle, so he could fight in any circumstance. His fighting was a unique style that was a lot like a dance. His elemental power proved extraordinarily useful. He could strike a foe down with a lightning bolt or even create an electrical or magnetic field with the blink of an eye. However, Brad couldn't use his powers too frequently because every zap shot a current through his brain. Too much power would fry it. However, his body was adapting to be able to use more power. Brad had been a bit of a misfit as no one really knew him until he joined the Dragoons. He was very happy with his new life, as it made him feel like he was actually doing something worthwhile.

"Couldn't you have been a gentleman and let her win?" Brad taunted.

"Shut up and get a haircut." Ben replied without missing a beat.

Brad felt his wild, light brown hair that hung nearly over his eyes. "I like my hair."

"As do I." Brittany grabbed two fistfuls of it.

"That's enough." Sean quickly said. "Brad and Mike. You guys are up. Nice of you two to join us by the way."

"Sorry." Mike said as he stepped up to fight.

Ben stepped back and Christie came up to his side. "Did she hurt you?" She teased.

Ben laughed. "Just a little."

She patted his head. "Poor thing, getting beat upon by a girl."

"Hey, what's that mean!"

Christie just laughed.

Christie Seedly was the White-Silver Dragoon, Dragoon of light. Her powers weren't made for attacking much other than dark foes. It was mostly for healing purposes. The purity of the dragoon spirit seemed to match Christie perfectly. He was a pure-hearted soul, the kind of girl who could solve any problem without taking any sides. Ben had long since loved her and they were together now and going strong. Christie had the same build as Brittany did and was just as physically strong, but she was quick and accurate with her bow and arrows.

"So everybody here?" Sean double-checked. "Good."

Their bonds were unbreakable and their combined powers proved to be unstoppable. The Dragoon force was legendary and not to be taken lightly. It had been called upon before in times of need; this was the third Dragoon Calling.

Thus far, the Dragoons' greatest achievement was defeating the supreme wingly Melbu Frahma, dictator of old and a power mad tyrant.

This was nearly two years ago. They were all seniors now and looking toward the future. Still, they had a divine responsibility. That's why they came here often to keep themselves in shape and in tune for whatever lay next.

Still, when evil shows its face, it is often a surprise.

They trained until dusk as usual and Sean let them leave.

"That's enough for today." He said.

"Good." Robert said. "I gotta go embarrass somebody at the arcade…Mike, come."

Mike rolled his eyes and went with him.

"I got a book report I gotta finish…okay, I have a book report I gotta _start_." Brad admitted. "I'll see you guys later."

"I'm going home then." Brittany said.

"We have a previous engagement." Christie said, referring to Ben and herself. They walked off together.

Melissa slid her arm around Sean. "What about you? Anything you doing?"

"Yes, actually." Sean replied. "I have a date with this really hot fighter chick."

"Mm." Melissa nodded. "She sounds sexy."

"Indeed she is."

"Nice…okay, you two have fun." She turned away.

"Whoa, wait!" He called after her. Melissa laughed and turned back around. Sean took her in his arms and kissed her.

* * *

Later in the night, they finally left. Sean walked Melissa home and then headed to his own house. He was unaware of the shadow that followed him. It crept along near him with every step, blending in with the darkness so that Sean would never see it.

Sean reached his house. His father, Hank, was the one human who knew about the Dragoons. The world couldn't know about what they did because they were not ready for such a thing. It was better for humans to go on with their lives without fretting over the evils in the world. Hank had discovered by accident and soon learned the whole story.

"Late again." Hank said.

"I was busy."

"Doing what?"

"Training." Sean lied.

"Your men or your tongue?"

Sean stared at him. "That's wrong, Dad."

Hank changed the subject. "That wood ain't gonna chop itself, you know."

Sean rolled his eyes. "I do my part to save the world and I still gotta do chores?"

"The world will still be here when you get back, I'll make sure of it." Hank smiled.

Sean chuckled and headed out back. It was awful dark, out. Sean turned and flipped on the back porch light.

A figure was exposed.

Before Sean could blink, it leapt at him. With a swift stroke, it cut the small chain around Sean's neck, removing the Dragoon spirit. The figure kicked it away. Now it could attack.

It slid around the shadows and attacked him from behind, then turned to a new location and struck him twice more. With a jump, Sean was knocked into the wall. The creature gave a mighty blow to Sean's head, knocking it back into the wall, dazing him. It flipped him away from the house and into the air. The creature moved with inhuman swiftness through the darkness, striking him a good number of times in the air, and then it tossed him up again and fired a dark blast. When it was over, Sean fell onto the lawn, motionless.

The creature landed near him with a vicious smile.

"All too easy."

_BLAM!_

"AGH!" The creature roared in pain and hunched over. It turned around and Hank fired another bullet from his shotgun, striking the creature in the chest.

"I suggest you run while you can!" He fired again, this time hitting it in the head. The creature let out a wail and took to the skies, flying away as fast as it could.

Hank ran out to his son and knelt beside him.

"Sean!" He called. "Sean, wake up!"

No response.

Hand looked around at the darkness surrounding him and decided to pull Sean into the house. He turned on all the lights and locked every door and window. To finish things off, he reloaded his gun. Then, he examined his son.

Sean was still breathing. His heart was even beating rapidly, but steadily slowing. But no matter how many times Hank tried, Sean wouldn't awaken.

Hank didn't know what had attacked him out there, but he was certain of two things.

It was neither human nor animal.

And whatever it was, it didn't like Dragoons.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: What's this? The almighty Sean cast aside in under a minute? What creature wields such power? Suspensful enough for you all? Heh. Yeah, we're back. This is an all-new story for you. Spike is working on the original sequel, now part 3 in the story. When I'm done here, he should have that done...he'd better. This story will be a bit shorter, but I hope you all will enjoy it. How was the first chaper?


	2. Meeting a Match

Chapter Two: Meeting a Match

Hank was completely uncertain of what to do. This was not a human matter, apparently; whatever it was attacked Sean because he was a Dragoon, so help outside of humans should be attained.

However, Hank did not know just how to get that help. All he could think of were the other Dragoons and he didn't know any of their numbers or addresses. Sean was beat up pretty bad; he had several cuts all over his body, which Hank had tried sealing to the best of his ability. He couldn't just wait and try to find some help because Sean needed critical care right now. But once more, all the hospitals could do was keep him alive, and how to explain this?

Hank didn't a whole lot of time to ponder the situation. Then, he was saved.

_Briiiinngg!_

Hank jumped at the ringing of the phone, then got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, is Sean there?"

"Uh…not really, who's this?"

"It's Ben. Could you-"

"Ben! Thank God!"

"What?"

"We have a problem on our hands. Call all the other Dragoons and meet here."

* * *

"WHAT HAPPENED!" Melissa exploded upon seeing the state Sean was in.

"I don't want to tell it seven times, so I'm waiting for everyone." Hank said. Melissa found herself without an argument. Finally, the last Dragoon, Christie came in.

"Okay, what's up?" She came in and saw Sean. "Oh my gosh! What happened?"

"You can heal, right?" Hank asked.

"Yeah."

"Good, heal him and I'll tell you in the process."

Christie's Dragoon spirit shimmered and transformed her into her Dragoon form. She began shining her healing light upon Sean's body and his wounds healed before their eyes.

"Okay," Hank said. "I don't know all that much. I told Sean to chop up some wood, then the light came on and I saw him go flying past the patio door. Something was attacking him, and winning. I grabbed my gun and went after it. I got a few good shots in and the thing fled."

"Did you see what it was?"

"Not really. It looked kinda humanoid, but I don't think it was human; it couldn't have been. It was pretty much all black, too."

Christie finished her healing. "Alright, done. Let's work on waking him up now." She put her hands on his head and they glowed. She closed her eyes and began her magic.

A moment later, she seemed troubled.

"Something's blocking me."

"Blocking?" Mike repeated. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't get to his consciousness; there's some sort of barricade…I'll try harder." Her hands glowed brighter. Still, she seemed to be getting nowhere. The light intensified to a level that forced everyone to shield their eyes. After a moment, her powers subsided and she took a few deep breaths.

"Give me a break!" She panted and tried again, even brighter somehow. In the end, she had to drop her powers and admit defeat. "It's no good; I can't break through."

"Break through _what_?" Brittany had to ask.

"I don't know, honestly."

"Some crafty work from our midnight friend." Hank said. "Now what?"

"If Christie can't do it, who can?" Melissa asked.

"How about the winglies?" Brad proposed. "They're all up in this magic stuff; maybe they can find a spell or something to wake him up, then we can go after whoever did this."

"I like it." Mike said.

"One thing, though." Hank said. "That thing seemed to hide pretty well in the darkness. Maybe we should wait until it's light out-we really don't want that thing coming after anyone else."

"That'll also give us a chance to rest up." Ben noted. "Okay, I guess we should meet back here tomorrow morning at, um…eight, I guess." They all agreed.

"Taking the lead in Sean's stead?" Brittany noticed with a grin.

"What, me? No, no, I was just thinking out loud."

"But that does raise the question," Christie pointed out. "Who's our leader now?"

"I think Ben would do well." Brittany offered. "I mean he's already taking charge rather nicely."

"I think not." Ben disagreed. "I'm no leader."

"Well, you're like Sean's right-hand man." Brad said.

"And you're the strongest out of the seven of us." Mike added.

"So it looks like you're the most worthy candidate." Melissa finished.

"But…I…you guys aren't serious, are you?" Their expressions told him they were. "Oh, I'm in big trouble." They chuckled. "So, um…yeah, we, uh…go home tonight and…come back tomorrow and…go?"

"I want to stay with him." Melissa said. "No offense, Hank, but he'll probably need a Dragoon guarding him."

"Understood." He said.

"I'll stay too." Christie said. "A dark foe, right? You'll need a light to protect you."

"Good plan." Melissa agreed.

"Well," Robert said. "I'm gonna go sleep. Evil powers or not, I still have basketball practice tomorrow."

"Try not to cheat next time." Melissa said.

Robert cringed. "I thought I would get out of the room without you saying it."

"You cheated?" More than one person asked.

"Long story."

"Rob used his Dragoon powers." Melissa said.

"See, now, that's not fair."

"That's low, Rob." Brittany shook her head. "Real low."

"Hey, we're THAT close!" Robert pathetically defended. Nobody accepted that as a reasonable answer. Robert sighed heavily. "Alright, alright! Get off my back, will you? I'm going home."

"Ditto." Mike said. One by one, they left except for Christie and Melissa.

"So…" Hank said, completely unsure of what to do. "I'll, uh get some blankets and stuff I guess."

"Not used to having guess for the night?" Melissa asked him.

"Nope, not really."

* * *

Melissa could not bring herself to believe that she would get a moment of sleep this night. Her dragon was on full alert to catch anything in the darkness so she and Christie could take it out, summoning backup if necessary.

Christie was asleep on the floor with a blanket over herself. Melissa was still sitting beside Sean on his bed.

There was no movement at all in his body aside from his breathing. She stroked his head gently, hoping it would bring some sort of relief to him, wherever he was.

"You should get some sleep."

Melissa spun around and saw Christie with her arm propping up her head. She sighed in relief.

"I can't sleep when he's like this."

Christie sat up and pulled herself up onto the bed beside Melissa. "Well, you're going to need some strength. If you stay up all night, you'll be too tired to fight later on."

"I know, but…"

"The Dark Dragon is on full alert; it doesn't need sleep, you know."

Melissa sighed again. "It just makes me very uncomfortable seeing him like this."

"It's understandable." Christie assured. "I mean if Ben were like this, I'd be stressed out, too. Even so, you need to be at full strength to fight whatever it was that attacked Sean."

Melissa had to give a small smile. "You know I hate you when you're right?"

"You must hate me a lot then!"

* * *

Hank demanded that he be taken to Ulara with the Dragoons, so Mike had to carry both Sean and Hank the whole way. It was a fairly long journey, actually, but they'd been to the Death Frontier before, a vast, seemingly endless maze of desert in which Ulara, city of winglies, was hidden. Even if you could find Ulara, you most likely would not be able to see it, for it was hidden by a wingly cloak.

Ulara was the last city of living winglies, so they kept themselves secret to protect themselves. They had befriended the Dragoons during their encounter with Melbu Frahma and could be looked upon as allies.

With the aid of wings, the Dragoons could find the location of the city easily.

"Okay, I think this is it." Ben said.

"So how do we get in there?" Hank asked. In truth, nobody was sure. Only a wingly artifact could grant them access to the city. However, they might recognize an ally.

Ben jumped up onto the stone ledge near the green teleportation device that would take them into the city, once activated. His Dragoon spirit shone a bright, crimson red, trying to get the attention of anyone watching.

Sure enough, there was a bright flash and a city appeared before their eyes. The green panel on the ground dimly glowed. The Dragoons stepped onto it and a green bubble surrounded them, warping them into the city.

* * *

"A barrier indeed." Said Charle. She had been the leader of the winglies for several millennia now, but appeared as elegant as ever. She was now performing a scan on Sean's body. "Some dark power."

"Dark power?" Christie spoke up. "Then why wasn't I able to shatter it?"

Charle smiled. "Not to be offensive, my dear, but you cannot possibly harness the full power of your dragon…at least not without shredding your human body."

Christie cringed at the thought.

"Humans cannot take such a direct force." Charle explained. "But your bodies are bending and stretching to adjust, so your powers will grow with time."

"Time is something we don't really have." Melissa sighed. "Something is out there."

"Yes, I'd like to hear more about this creature."

"I told you everything I saw." Hank said. "Blended in with the darkness, really strong, knocked Sean unconscious somehow."

"It is a frightening thought." Said Caron, Charle's right-hand woman. "What could be strong enough to instantly defeat the Divine Dragoon?"

"I don't wanna think about it." Brittany shivered.

"But this does lead to an important question." Charle said, looking over Sean once more. "Where is the Divine Dragoon Spirit?"

The pause was long and unsettling.

"Oh…" Robert finally said.

"Did the black creature take it?" Charle asked.

"I don't think so." Hank said. "He didn't have time."

"Then…" Melissa realized. "We must've left it out in the woods."

"Well," Ben said. "I'm feeling awful stupid, so I'm gonna go jump off a bridge. Anybody want to join me?"

"Wow, we're dumb." Christie said.

"It's alright." Mike said. "We'll just go back and get it before…whatever it was…can steal it."

"But we don't all need to go." Ben pointed out. "Only a few of us."

"Well, I'll go." Melissa said.

"As will I." Brad said.

"I suppose I'll go, too." Christie said.

"I suggest you go very fast." Ben said. "The rest of us will stand guard with Sean."

"Got it." Melissa said. "See you guys later." And they flew off.

"Man, we're blind." Brad said only a few moments later. "How did we not notice it!"

"It doesn't matter." Christie said. "Let's just get the thing and go."

Melissa felt it first. A darkness…coming for them.

"MOVE!" She shouted, tackling Brad and Christie out of the way of the black blast coming for them. Christie instantly put up a white shield. Something deflected off of it, nearly knocking her from the sky. It flipped through the air and came back at them. They all moved away to avoid its strike and Christie fired an arrow.

The black creature dodged it and flew back around, more slowly this time. It stopped and crossed its arms, letting out a low chuckled.

Melissa, Brad, and Christie were awestruck.

It was…a Dragoon!

His armor was of traditional Dragoon fashion with a black eye in the middle of his chest, which had a red pupil. His armguards were spiked and everything about his armor was midnight black, showing how he hid in the shadows easily. The unique thing, though, was that he didn't have just a headband like everyone else. He had a full, black helmet covering his entire head. The helmet was fashioned similar to a dragon's head with spikes coming from the back and horns pointing up. The mask of the helmet was fairly plain with a few slits to make breathing easier and yellow eyes to see through.

The Dragoon let out an evil chuckle and spoke in a strange, dark voice.

"Is this all they send me? Three Dragoons?"

"Who are you!" Melissa demanded.

"Call me the Black Dragoon, it's simple enough." He offered.

"And why did you attack Sean?"

"He's the strongest of you all, so I had to remove the biggest obstacle. Why? Was he dear to you?"

"Shut up!" Melissa charged and he slipped out of the way. Brad came up behind him and tried an attack, but the Black Dragoon shot out a fist and stopped him with a punch. Then, an arrow stuck into his shoulder.

"AH!" He shouted as its light nature singed him from within. He reached back and ripped it out, then avoided the next shot. "Away with you!" He fired a black blast to get her away.

Brad put his fist in the air as the sky quickly grew dark. "Atomic mind!" A giant thunder bolt shot down, but the Black Dragoon caught it and rerouted it back to Brad, who just smiled. He knew he could absorb his own powers. However, the Black Dragoon mixed dark powers in with it to effectively knock Brad out of the sky.

Melissa came again and swiped at him a few times. He avoided a few strikes, swung at her. She dodged, and then countered. He evaded it, then kicked her side and threw her away.

"Star Children!" The Black Dragoon turned at the command and saw a million tiny stars of light rushing at him from Christie. He had no time to dodge and took the onslaught head-on, grinding his teeth the whole time.

Christie quickly flew over to the others.

"Listen, I'm the only one who seems to be having any effect, so you two go on and get the Dragoon spirit while he isn't looking."

"No way, Christie." Melissa said.

"Hey, don't worry! If anything goes wrong, I'll rush back to Ulara, okay?" Without waiting for a response, she flew over to attack the Black Dragoon again. Melissa bit her lip, and then turned to Brad.

"Alright, c'mon."

Christie continued with her distraction, firing a few arrows. The Black Dragoon rushed at her and she moved away, slicing his arm with an arrow and fired it after him. The Black Dragoon turned around, fuming, and yanked the arrow from his back.

"You're more of a pain in the neck than I thought!"

"I try." She smiled.

The Black Dragoon's arms glowed and his choice weapons were drawn. They were two long blades which he held onto by a handle jutting from the hilt so that his swordplay was like fist fighting.

One look at those blades and Christie began to worry. She fired a few arrows, but each one was deflected. He lunged. Christie moved aside, but the Black Dragoon reached out, slicing her side. He quickly came back and swiped at her again. All Christie could do was evade, and she wasn't doing too great with that. Every swipe was only a fraction of an inch away, but soon, a few began leaving small cuts long her body.

Christie fired a light beam to push herself away as well as damage him, but he blocked the attack with a black shield and fired his own beam through it, shooting her down. Christie regained air control, but just too late. The Black Dragoon slammed into her, knocking her off balance, then came back at her striking and slicing at surprisingly high speeds. In the end, he kicked her away from him and fired another black blast.

Christie took the hit so she could get away from him. She was beat up pretty bad and retreating to Ulara was sounding like a good idea. She flapped her wings and sped off as fast as she could.

Suddenly, a black force surrounded her and she stopped flying forward.

"What" She exclaimed. She looked back and saw that the Black Dragoon had her in a makeshift tractor beam.

"You didn't think it would be that easy, did you?" He laughed. He pulled his hand back and Christie flew at him. The Black Dragoon held his arm out and Christie ran right into it. The Black Dragoon abandoned his weapons grabbed hold of her, pulling her down and slamming her into the ground.

The Black Dragoon walked over to her fallen form. "What a waste." He said with a sigh.

But then, Christie's foot shot up, kicking him in the face. She spun around and swung a low kick, tripping him, then shot both feet into the air, knocking him away. In a falling effort, The Black Dragon fired a dark blast, knocking her into a large rock formation. She regained her strength and tried flying away, but The Black Dragoon tackled her and drew one blade again. He ran the blade through the bone of her left wing, shooting extreme pain through her body.

"AHH!" She shouted.

"Just so you can't run away." He chuckled. The blade had also pierced the rock, so she was pinned.

Christie's fist glowed white and she punched at his head. He took the hit and countered with a stronger punch with his non-bladed hand.

"Weak." The Black Dragoon scoffed. "But it doesn't seem you were made for this type of combat." He punched her again, then grabbed her head and slammed it against the rock. He withdrew his blade and she fell to the ground, dazed and bloody. He shot his knee up as she fell, catching her in the stomach and knocking her into the wall again, then quickly removed the knee and replaced it with his fist.

Christie lurched forward and his other fist came up, knocking her head back. She heard a few vertebra snap and crack in her neck from the whiplash. The Black Dragoon grabbed her neck in his strong hand and began closing his hand around it tightly. Christie felt like her head would pop right off her neck at any second now, and his grip was only getting tighter. She tried fighting him off, but she felt herself weakening with every passing second as her heart pounded ever louder in her ears.

"Die now." The Black Dragoon hissed.

"You first."

His head spun and moved just in time to see a thin blade shoot past his head, cutting the flesh just under his jaw line, where his helmet ended.

Melissa drew back and lunged again. This time, he was able to block with his own blade. He let go of Christie, who fell to the sand in a heap. With this now free hand, he swung at Melissa, who leaned back and swung her foot up, kicking him in the face. His head recoiled and she put one hand on the ground, spinning her other foot up to kick him back into the rocks.

Melissa jumped back up and stabbed at him. He moved to the side and knocked her blade away, then swung his foot around to hit her behind the knee, buckling her legs. He fired a dark wave that, for some reason, Melissa could not absorb, and she was knocked back several feet.

The Black Dragoon shot at her and she catapulted up high enough to flip over him, kicking as she went, so she could defend Christie. She turned and got ready to defend herself.

The Black Dragoon turned and looked at her, seeming ready to attack, but then, he surprised her. His blades vanished and he just laughed. "Two down, six to go. Challenge me when you have a formidable force." He flapped his wings and took off, laughing until he was out of Melissa's hearing range.

* * *

"Head's up!" Brittany said, always the lookout. She usually made it her job to sit up in high places and watch for whatever might be coming towards them. "Someone's coming."

Melissa flew in quickly, carrying Christie's beaten body, which was drained of its Dragoon powers.

"Christie!" Ben exclaimed, rushing to her.

"Her too?" Robert asked.

"No, I think this is different." Melissa said. "It looks like she just blacked out."

Charle motioned for Melissa to set her down on another bed and then did a quick scan of her body.

"Yes, it is as you said. She shall awaken in time."

Brittany scoffed. "Forget that!" Her Dragoon spirit glowed and she shot a stream of water at Christie's face. She awoke with a start, coughing and gasping.

"Hey, easy!" Ben said, gripping her hand. "You're alright."

She took several large breaths and rubbed her hand along her neck, which had a rather visible bruise. "God…" She wheezed.

"What happened?" Mike finally asked.

"It attacked us." Melissa said.

"That dark thing?" Hank asked.

Melissa groaned. "I'm afraid it's a little more complicated than that."

AUTHORS' NOTE: The enemy is one of their own. How can the Dragoons counter such a deadly fiend? More to come in the next chapters! How was thsi one?


	3. The Damage Increases

OPENING NOTE: To SeraphimEmperor: Spike and I had to remove our old stories to put these rules. He is in the process of rewriting his old story, now called Cataclysmic Reunion. He should have it done by the time this one is done…but I don't know. Spike is pretty lazy :D. j/k

Chatper Three: The Damage Increases

"A Dragoon…" Ben muttered, pacing back and forth. Melissa had told them everything she knew. "You're sure?"

"I saw the Dragoon Spirit." Melissa confirmed.

"But…how?" Mike asked.

"Well, it _is_ fathomable." Charle admitted. "Perhaps it is from a dragon that died recently, or the more probable reason, it simply hasn't been discovered yet. Do you know what Dragon is was?"

Melissa thought for a moment, and then conferred with her own dragon for a moment. She shook her head. "The Dark Dragon didn't get a good enough look, but she'll be on the lookout next time."

"Well," Robert spoke up. "This really sucks. I mean, a Dragoon? How do we fight that?"

Ben shrugged. "Probably like everything else, just fight it until it dies."

"But look! Christie couldn't even destroy that thing and darkness is the element she's strongest against."

"Yeah, well, we're all pretty powerful ourselves, so I think we can handle it."

"How?"

Ben let out a heavy sigh. "I really don't know, but we'll think of something, alright? Right now, I guess we just sit back and wait for Brad to come back."

"What do we do until then?" Mike wondered aloud.

"Practice, I guess. Keep our edge up." Nobody objected. "Okay then, let's find a place…hey, where's Brittany?"

They looked around and saw she was gone.

"I bet I know where." Mike said. "I'll catch up in a bit." He walked outside and sure enough found her atop Charle's house, overlooking the land. Mike transformed and flew up to her. "You like it up here, don't you?"

"I like high places. It helps me get a good view of the terrain."

"Always the lookout."

Brittany's face seemed distraught, which was unusual for her. "I don't like the thought of Brad being out there with that thing."

Mike stood beside her and looked across the city. "Brad's a tough guy. He has the power of lightning to back him up as well. Besides, he had a good head start, and he's pretty fast."

"I guess." She acquiesced.

"C'mon, let's join the others."

* * *

Hank was without much to do, so he just stayed with Sean for a bit, but he soon grew restless. He found Charle and spoke to her.

"I need something to get my mind off the situation at hand."

"Anything in mind?" Charle asked.

"Yeah, actually, um…can, uh…can you teach me to read wingly script?"

Charle cocked her head in confusion. "Wanting to expand your vocabulary?"

"Well, not quite. You see…my late wife, as you know, was a wingly. She left some stuff for me to see after she died, and there are a bunch of notebooks with what Sean tells me are wingly symbols…"

"And you're curious to what she wrote." Charle nodded.

"Yep. I wanna know what was really going through her head during those days."

"I understand."

"So…do you have any books or anything to help me out?"

Charle smiled. "We winglies do often use books to obtain knowledge, but in special cases like this, we simply exchange information."

Charle put her hands on the sides of Hank's head. "I must warn you, however. This is the first time your body has been exposed to wingly magic like this…"

"So it's gonna hurt a little, huh?"

"Well…more than just a little."

"What?"

Charle's magic kicked in and ran through Hank's brain. His eyes shot open as his mind was opened and his brain was stretched. It hurt like heck!

"Ngh!" He grunted, grinding his teeth.

"Just hold on." Charle said. "Your body is adjusting."

"My…head…is ripping…apart!" He hissed.

"Just wait." The magic continued to flow through her hands to his head. He let out a grunted yell through his teeth as his face turned red and his eyes began to shimmer from wingly magic. Finally, with a white flash, it was over. Charle removed her hands and Hank fell to his knees, clutching his head.

"There you are." Charle said.

"Geez!" he exclaimed. Charle knelt down and helped him back to his feet and lead him to a window.

"That store right down there. What does it say above the doorway?"

Hank stared at it, amazed. "Traveler's Needs."

"Basically our item shop." Charle explained.

"But…I read it!"

"Exactly."

"Incredible!" Hank was thrilled.

"Now you can understand your late wife even better."

"Yeah, thanks."

Then, Charle added, "But don't worry, Hank. I'm sure she loved you very much."

Hank froze, knowing her words had struck the nail on the head.

* * *

Some hours later, the Blue-Sea Dragon sensed the Violet Dragon's presence in the distance and shimmered a bit. Brittany's eyes widened. Brad was near!

"Brad's coming!" She called to the others.

Sure enough, a purple streak shot across the sky.

It was followed by a black one.

"Uh-oh." Melissa said.

Black blasts fired at Brad, but he avoided them and kept flying as fast as he could. The Black Dragoon was hot on his tail. Brad flew towards the Dragoons, hoping they would help shake this black pursuer.

Ben stepped up and fired a bomb ball at the Black Dragoon, which exploded on contact. The Black Dragoon was stunned and crashed into the ground. Brad circled around and flew into Charle's house, crashing through the window and vanishing from sight.

The other Dragoons got a good look at their attacker.

"How's this for a formidable force?" Melissa taunted.

"Lousy, actually." The Black Dragoon scoffed, standing up quickly. "You're three dragoons short and I would bet that number is going to increase very quickly."

All the Dragoons lunged at him. He ducked down and gathered power, then fired a great wave, knocking all five of them away.

"Is that it?" The Black Dragoon laughed. "One shot and you're down?"

Suddenly, a blast knocked him off balance. A wingly landed with stunning grace. It was Caron. She had quickly changed into a warrior garment via magic and now held a spear in her hand and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. She pointed her spear at him.

"And what's this?" The Black Dragoon chuckled. "Another warrior?"

Caron lunged at him and the Dragoon moved aside and fired a blast. Caron spun around and deflected it right back at him. He evaded the hit and Caron jumped at him. She stabbed and he spun away, but Caron was expecting that. She ducked low and spun back the other way, tripping the Dragoon, then lifted her spear and slammed him down. She jumped up with the tip down, but the Black Dragoon rolled away and drew his blades.

He struck left and right, but she evaded both and stuck at him with her spear. He jumped clear over her and lunged for the kill. With a flash, Caron teleported and ended up behind him to fired a blast, knocking him away. The Black Dragoon jumped up and spun, shooting several black blasts from his blades. Caron spun her spear and deflected them all, then fired a white blast, knocking him off his feet.

Caron dove forward, knocking him even further back, then kicked him into a wall. She pointed her spear at him.

"I suggest you leave while you can."

The Black Dragoon considered this. She was a magnificent warrior and other winglies were sure to soon join her. Besides, the Dragoons were getting back up.

"Alright." He said. "You win this one…but I'll be back." He crouched down and shot into the sky, leaving black trail behind him.

"Dang!" Robert exclaimed, walking over to her. "Where did that come from?"

Caron gave a modest shrug. "I'm not only Charle's closest assistant, but I'm also her guardian."

"Didn't know you had it in you!"

"Neither did he, and that's why I won." Caron assured him. "Now that he knows that I am a real threat, he won't take me so lightly next time."

"In other words, don't expect that again?"

"Exactly."

"Wonderful."

Brittany flew to where Brad had crashed and flew inside. He was sitting on the ground, one leg outstretched, breathing heavily, electricity still pulsing through him.

"Brad!" Brittany said, kneeling next to him. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine once my adrenaline kicks out." Brad said with a small smile.

Every now and then, a group of sparks would shoot through his body, showing just how pumped up he was.

The other Dragoons came in.

"You alright, Brad?" Ben asked him.

"I'll be okay." He said through the pants.

"Good. Well…we all got a close encounter with our counterpart. Anybody get a read on his dragon?"

"No, not really." Mike said. "I was kinda busy recovering from the black wave that sent me flying about a hundred feet."

Ben rolled his eyes. "We just weren't ready for it."

"Either way, we were lucky to have Caron around." Melissa said with a dissatisfied sigh.

Hank walked in. "Well, that looked awful painful, everybody alright?"

"Yeah." Came their distressed moans.

"Well, it's nice to see the morale's still up." He muttered. A few sparks caught his eye and he looked down at Brad. "You okay there?"

Brad simply gave a thumbs up, too tired to say anything else.

"So now what do we do?" Mike asked. All eyes turned to Ben.

"What? I'm out of ideas here!"

"Here's a plan!" Brad said. "No more small groups!" More sparks surrounded him.

Charle looked closer. "Bradley, are you sure you're alright?"

He considered it. "Well…my chest kinda hurts like heck." He gave a small chuckle.

Charle knelt down and took his pulse. "This is odd." She said.

"What?" Brittany asked.

"He's been sitting here resting for several minutes and his heart is still beating rapidly."

"That would explain the pounding." Brad muttered.

"It's a bit more serious than you're letting it be." Charle alerted him, still observing his body.

"Why?"

"Your pulse is so rapid because of all the electricity pulsing through your body. It's a perfect circuit continuing non-stop through your system."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It means you're on constant internal adrenaline."

"Why is that so serious?"

"Adrenaline only lasts so long for a reason. Your heart can only take so much."

Brad cocked his head. "What are you saying?"

"If we don't get your heart rate to slow down, you could die soon."

His eyes shot open. "I suddenly don't feel very well."

"Wait." Brittany said. "How can that be?"

"He used all his strength to escape the Black Dragoon and such an exposure to the Violet Dragon's powers overcame him."

"But can't the dragon just reverse it?" Melissa asked.

"I think the Black Dragoon had something to do with this as well. It seems to have ruptured Brad's system a bit."

"How?"

"He was weakened greatly by fighting the Dragoon, so his body was less resistant."

"Well then, how do we slow him down?" Brittany anxiously asked.

"I'm not sure. We have to find a way to get the electricity to stop."

"Wait," Brittany said. "I have an idea." She transformed into her Dragoon form again. "Maybe if I freeze him his body will cool down."

"It's a good shot." Charle said. "Try it."

Brittany extended her hand and a rush of cold air overcame Brad's body.

"Geez, that's cold!" He exclaimed, shivering already.

Charle checked his pulse a minute later. "It's working; his pulse is slowing."

Brad's eyes were glazing over as he drifted into a cold sleep. But in doing so, Brad had even less control of the electrical current within him. A purple bolt lashed out and shot Brittany across the room.

Both Dragoons fell unconscious.

"What the!" Robert exclaimed.

"The electricity expelled itself." Charle gathered. "Brittany was just in the way." She gave a frustrated sigh. "Also probably the work of the Black Dragoon."

"And now she's out cold." Ben said after looking her over.

"And it looks like Brad is in a cold sleep." Mike observed.

"He would have to stay here for recovery anyway." Charle said. "He was damaged by the Black Dragoon."

Melissa nodded. "Perfect! Just perfect!"

"Geez." Robert said. "He took out half of our forces in less than twenty-four hours."

"I will do all I can to recover them." Charle promised.

"But until then," Robert continued, "We're in trouble."

"Especially if he keeps this up." Mike said. "One by one, he's taking us out."

"All the more reason to take him out quickly." Ben said.

"How?" Melissa asked. "We don't know who he is or where he is."

"All we can do is wait for him to show himself again."

"And take another beating." Rob muttered.

"Not this time." Ben said. "I've figured something out. His powers come from a dragon, so our dragons will be able to sense him coming and that way, we'll have the upper hand."

This calmed them a bit, but they were still uneasy about having such a decrease in number.

"Well," Mike sighed finally. "The sun will be setting soon and our folks will be wondering about us."

"We can teleport you back." Charle offered. "And send decoys to replace your friends while they recover."

"I suppose…" Ben grumbled. "How long will it take?"

"Once Christie is functional again, she can help heal, but that may take some time; the damage is heavy on her. Brad won't take as long. Brittany should wake in due time, but Sean we still do not know about."

"How hopeful." Mike muttered.

"I'm sorry." Charle said. "But that's all we can do."

"I'll just tell the school that Sean is sick." Hank said.

"Okay," Ben sighed. "Let's get going home, and then…try to live a normal life, okay?"

"Man," Rob grumbled. "With the basketball finals going on, I REALLY don't need this."

Melissa heard it all, but she wasn't listening too well. She kept looking over at Sean, wondering when he would wake up…_if_ he would wake up.

"Please wake up." She quietly pleaded.

* * *

"You were right!" The Black Dragoon laughed as he entered. "The White-Silver Dragoon was nothing compared to me."

"Did you doubt me?" The voice said with a smirk in its tone.

"For a moment, I admit, but no more! It will take her days to recover, and she will wish that she had never awakened!"

"Awaken? You mean you did not kill her?"

The Black Dragoon hesitated. "No…I couldn't."

"What do you mean?"

"I was distracted…"

"By _what_?"

"By her…Melissa."

"Ah…I see…" The voice seemed snide. "Be careful, my friend. She may yet be your bane."

He shook his head. "I doubt it."

"Mm…any other damage?"

"I think so. The Thunder Dragoon was beat up pretty good. But then, I was attacked by something."

"What?"

"Not sure…it was humanoid, but it couldn't be human. It had silver hair and flew on-"

"Wings of silver light!" The voice seemed anxious.

"Yes, you know them?"

"Winglies…yes…where was this?"

"I'm not sure. It appeared out of nowhere, like it had some sort of cloaking device. It was like a paradise in the middle of the desert with streams and green growth all through the city."

"Ulara…so, some of them still live." He let out a chuckle. "Yes…this is perfect!"

"For what?" The Black Dragoon asked.

"My escape…"

He told The Black Dragoon his plan.

"If all goes well, it should provide the necessary power to open the portal for me."

"And then you'll have the revenge you wanted?"

"Tenfold." The voice promised.

They finished their planning and The Black Dragoon left. He returned to his home and de-transformed.

Clad in only human flesh once more, he fell onto his bed, eyes wide.

"My God." He whispered. "What have I done?"

"You needn't worry."

That voice again!

He sat up and looked at the Dragoon spirit, and it looked up at him.

"You did what needed to be done."

"No…" He whispered. "I went too far!"

"Why? You're only doing what most humans cannot! You are taking what you want!"

"I could've killed them…"

"But you didn't, keep that in mind."

"Attacking Sean was bad enough, but the others? Why did they have to suffer?"

"Because they challenged you. Had you not fought them, they would have killed you."

"And maybe I should've let them! I shouldn't have attacked Sean."

"Then how would you ever get what you want?" The spirit had asked the right question. "Remember why you do this. With these powers, everything belongs to you; you can have everything you've ever desired."

"Everything…" He repeated, remember all he'd been told.

"Nothing is out of your reach." The spirit cooed. "All your dreams fulfilled…trust in me, dearest friend…trust in me and you will never want again."

He held the Dragoon spirit in both hands and it glowed.

The evil smile returned to his face.

AUTHORS' NOTE: A reluctant enemy...a mysterious voice...and a drastic cut in the Dragoon forces. Things aren't looking good. Please review!


	4. Attempting Normality

Chapter Four: Attempting Normality

How do you move along in your normal life after such strain and shock? Ben, Robert, Melissa, and Mike were finding it very difficult. They were the only ones of their kind left to defend the world, so they trained extra hard, but the weight of the world was falling on them harder. Three days had passed and still no good news from Ulara had come to them.

Ben was not at all enjoying his position as the Dragoon leader. Everybody was depending on him, but he was short on ideas other than to keep training and keep trying. He was constantly burdened by the worries he had for Christie. Every night, he imagined the Black Dragoon creeping up and attacking her while she was weak.

Mike was beyond frustrated with the whole situation. He feared that, should he encounter the Black Dragoon, that he should suffer a similar fate as his friends. However, the thing that worried him the most was the well-being of his sister.

Melissa was not in good shape. She felt a very strange emptiness in her being. First and foremost, Sean was not in good condition. It was as if he was in a permanent coma, unable to hear her, and she was unable to help him. However, she had not only lost Sean to the Black Dragoon, but her two best friends, as well. Christie's status was improving bit by bit, but Brittany had not yet awakened from her own coma.

However, nearly no one knew about her inner trouble because of the mask she wore. She felt the need to hide her true thoughts because she was always known as the tough girl. The image wasn't just for the sake of the world, but for her own as well. After all, the tough girl would find it rather easy to continue on with her life.

Robert was stunned at his own distress. The situation at hand affected him more than anyone would have expected, as he was not easily troubled. Even in just three days, he realized how off he was. He could barely focus in class, and with a test coming up, that was going to be trouble. The most obvious sign of his stress was during basketball practice. He couldn't shoot, steal, or keep the ball to save his life.

"You alright, man?" Adam asked him after the practice was over.

Robert waved him off. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Okay…" Adam let it go.

Fortunately, after everything was over, Robert still had the cheerleader girls to comfort him. They came to him on most days after practice was over and stuck around with him for a bit.

On this particular day, she was there as well. He still knew nothing of her existence, but she still watched him from time to time. As usual, he was leaving with the cheerleaders. She sighed.

They were almost to the door when Robert suddenly realized he didn't have his backpack. He'd probably left it in the locker room.

"Hey, I'll be right back." Rob said. "I forgot something." He quickly turned and jogged to the gym again.

The girl stood there with her back against the wall and her eyes on the floor. How on earth would she get him to notice her? Even if she could accomplish that feat, why go out with her when he had his pick of any girl in the school, including every cheerleader on the team? It was hopeless.

Due to her usual depression and lack of self-esteem, this girl always wore a black hoodie over her clothing with the hood up to conceal her face. However, today was surprisingly hot and the gym had a terrible cooling system. She'd been enduring it for a while, but the heat was only intensifying.

Finally, she could stand it no longer. Nobody really knew her anyway, so it couldn't hurt. She quickly pulled her arms into the hoodie and pulled it off over her head and flipped her hair out of her face.

The timing was absolutely perfect.

Robert ran by just as she took the hoodie off and the movement caught his attention. His head turned and stuck. Time slowed for a moment.

Light glittered off her smooth skin and lit up her entire wondrous form from her slender arms to her long, gorgeous legs. She flipped her long, sparkling, platinum blonde hair, which flowed in an unseen wind and flickered along her beautiful face as angels sang in the background.

Now, the way the boys' locker room was designed was that stairs led down into the back of the gym and the locker room was in a sort of lower level that extended all the way to the other side of the gym.

Robert, unfortunately, had suddenly lost all thought and interest as to where he was running until all at once, the ground fell away from beneath his feet.

"EYAH!" Rob cried out as he fell down ten stairs and hit the wall opposite them.

Stunned, the girl ran down to his side.

"Are you alright?" She exclaimed.

Rob's macho instinct kicked in.

"Yeah, of course!" He quickly pulled himself up. "I just, uh…wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

The girl had to wonder. Had he been staring at her…was he staring at her now? Her hopes skyrocketed.

Robert suddenly realized he was staring.

"I, uh…I don't think I've seen your around here before."

"Oh, well, I'm new here. My name is Marian…I'm a senior."

"Me too. I'm, uh, I'm Rob." Robert shook her hand.

"Yeah, I know. I've seen you play."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yeah! You're, uh…you're really great."

Rob smiled. He heard it rather often, but somehow…it felt special this time. What was going on with him?

"You, uh…you think so?"

"Yeah…I do."

Rob was wondering, _Is there another meaning when she says I'm great?_

Marian was wondering, _Did he catch the hidden meaning there?_

Something quickly crossed Rob's mind.

"Well, uh…this is kind of a guys' locker room, so…"

"OH! Sorry!" She quickly ran up the stairs, embarrassed.

"It's okay, really!" Rob called after her.

She turned halfway up the stairs. "I'll, uh…I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, sure!"

She smiled and took off.

Robert found himself unable to remove the smile from his face.

"Smooth, Robbie."

Robert turned and saw Adam still there, leaning against the doorframe with a smug grin.

"Real smooth." Adam chuckled.

"Shut up and call somebody, I think I broke my arm."

* * *

It was the only place in the world where she truly could feel at home. High above the clouds, Melissa soared near the nighttime sky. She had always been a lover of the night, probably due to the Dark Dragon secretly working through her for several years. Up here, the world was still natural. It was calm and cool and safe up here. Plus, the scenery was to die for. Little dots of starts sparkling in the black nothingness. The moon was waxing and would be full before too long. That's when it would be most beautiful, and she never missed going on those nights.

However…something was not right. Here she was, high above the madness of humanity, in her serene, mystical safe place, and yet…she felt a strange emptiness inside her.

Melissa knew why. These nights were great, but she was often reminded of one very special night. It was the night she had spent here with Sean after defeating Melbu. They had spent several nights up here together, but that first one was the most special.

When she thought of that night, Melissa thought of Sean, and when she thought of Sean, she remembered his situation. Now, even this place couldn't make her happy…in fact, it only made things worse.

Here it came again, the wrench twisting at her insides. It was becoming more frequent now. Still, she fought back. She was the tough girl, after all.

_Melissa._ The Dark Dragoon interrupted her thoughts. _Keep your eyes open…there's something here._

Melissa looked around, wary. "What is it?" She asked quietly.

_Hard to say…a darkness…like a shadow…_

"Shadow? At night?"

_A different darkness against the night sky…trying to hide._

Melissa's eyes narrowed. "Can you track it?"

_Of course. It is very good at stealth, but cannot hide from me._

Melissa had her blade ready. She knew exactly who it was.

_Location is about seven o'clock…fifty feet from…coming fast!_

Melissa turned and thrust her sword out to meet this foe with a deadly strike. He saw her just in time and moved aside. Melissa turned to meet him again.

"Ha, ha! So you saw me!" The dark voice chuckled, still unseen.

"My dragon did. You cannot hide in the darkness…speaking of which, how can you hide amongst the darkness with all the stars to light up the sky?"

"I told you to call me the Black Dragoon, but I could also be described as the Shadow Dragoon, for I am like them. I lurk amongst dark places, merging myself with them."

"Are you saying that right now, your body is perfectly outlining the stars somewhere?" Melissa scoffed.

"Exactly." He answered to the shock of Melissa. "I am not so bound by the limits of physical possibilities as you are."

_Behind you! _The dragon warned.

Melissa spun around and blocked his strike. He held himself in place, pressing back towards her. His Dragoon Spirit flashed red and a dark fireball shot out, shooting her across the sky. At such close range, Melissa felt a mighty sting that she knew would linger. Suddenly, she stopped flying away and froze in place.

The Black Dragoon dropped his cloak, but with the night sky, he was only slightly visible. The most light came from the yellow eyes on his helmet. He flew over to her. She couldn't see his face, but she had a feeling he was smiling.

"Good evening, Melissa." He said formally.

Melissa was stunned. "How do you know me?"

"I know what I must." He said. He had to chuckled, looking over her armored form. "I knew you were always the tough girl, but nothing like this! Ha, ha! Incredible!"

"Who are you!" Melissa demanded.

"Now I can't tell you that, can I?" He chuckled. His voice was not distinguisable. It was as though it was being altered, as if a second voice spoke with him.

"Why not?" Melissa smiled. "Afraid?"

"Not really, but secrecy makes my job a lot easier."

"Well, when I do find out who you are, I will tear you limb from limb!"

"Doubtful." He chuckled. "But why would you want to do that, anyway?"

Melissa couldn't help but let a chuckle go. "Why? You left four of my friends incapacitated, you're a threat to the humans, and as a Dragoon, I have a divine duty to destroy any darkness. Need any more reasons?"

"Actually, I still don't quite get it."

"Why not!"

"Because, the way I see it, we should not be fighting. You and I, I mean."

"You harm my friends and say we shouldn't be fighting?"

"Yeah! I mean look at us…we're both Dragoons of a dark element…shouldn't we be on the same side?"

Melissa chuckled. "My Dragoon spirit may be dark, but it isn't evil, unlike yours."

"Am I evil? Or do I just strive for what I want…what I deserve?"

"Deserve? And what would that be?"

He floated closer and stroked her cheek with his hand. Melissa couldn't believe what she was witnessing.

"If you do that again, I will bite off your hand."

"So beautiful." The Black Dragoon said, putting his arms around her. She still couldn't move under his unseen grip.

"Let go of me." She calmly commanded.

"Why do we quarrel?" The Black Dragoon asked. "It's like I said…we're both Dark Dragoons. We should be together…think of what we could accomplish."

"I'd rather not."

"C'mon…this way is better, I guarantee it. Imagine doing anything you want and not regretting anything!"

"That regret tells me the difference between right and wrong, a line you crossed long ago."

The Black Dragoon seemed agitated. "This isn't an offer you can just throw away. You know my powers and I tell you now that if you don't side with me, you will eternally regret it."

"Will I?" She chuckled. "You can't force me to do anything."

"Melissa…" His voice seemed a little different and something died in his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you."

Her eyes narrowed. "You've already done all the damage you can."

The fierceness in his eyes returned with a passion. "You think so!" He hissed, flying backwards and releasing her from his grip. "I can do a whole lot more! Just you watch!"

With a glow of his eyes, he vanished once more, leaving one last warning. "I suggest you keep this encounter to yourself!"

Melissa realized how fast her heart was beating. He was right. He could make her life a whole lot worse.

_Are you alright?_ The Dark Dragon asked.

"I'll be fine." Melissa said.

_Good, because we have a bit of a problem._

"What?"

_I tried my hardest, but could not detect the dragon behind that Dragoon._

"What do you mean?"

_I mean I can't feel it. It's as if something is blocking me._

"That makes no sense." Melissa muttered. She shook her head. "I _really_ don't need this right now."

_But this does give us a clue. The Black Dragoon is apparently infatuated with you. _

"Gag." She muttered. "Why does he think I'll ever go to him?"

_I'm not sure. Try to get more out of him next time._

Melissa flew on home, trying to put together the puzzle pieces. Her objective was still clear, though: Kill the Black Dragoon.

Melissa walked inside the house. "Where's mom?" She asked Mike as he walked by.

He shrugged. "Out doing something. Where have you been?"

Melissa hesitated, remembering the Black Dragoon's last threat. "Just out thinking."

Mike nodded and walked away.

"Mike?" Melissa called after him.

He turned. "Yeah?"

She found the words hard to place. "Don't, um…don't…go anywhere…okay?"

By the look in her eyes, Mike understood. "Black Dragoon's getting to you, isn't he?"

She shrugged. "My boyfriend and two best friends were taken in less than two days, that's kinda freaky. I just…I just don't want you to be next."

"Hey," Mike walked over and wrapped his strong arms around her. "I'm not going anywhere."

Melissa couldn't help but recall. "Remember the last time you said that?"

Mike did. Several years ago, when their parents were finalizing the divorce, a much younger Mike and Melissa realized that if this followed through, they would never see each other again. Frightened, Melissa begged her bother not to leave her, and he swore he would not. When they came to separate the siblings, they clung to each other and literally had to be torn from each other by force, kicking and screaming.

"Hey, I'm a lot stronger now." Mike noted.

"And the circumstances are a whole lot worse."

"Will you give me the benefit of the doubt already?" Mike said with a laugh. "I'm not going anywhere without a fight."

She had to give him that one. "I know…I know."

"Trust me. If I ever see that Black Dragoon again, I'll tear his head from his shoulders."

They said nothing more on the subject.

The Black Dragoon removed himself from the shadows and silently left the house.

* * *

The Dragons needed a plan and they needed it now, before the Black Dragoon could strike again. They were at the mall food court, just the four of them.

"Okay, Ben." Robert said. "What's the plan?"

Ben blinked. His eyes looked left and right. Finally, he reached into his Dorito bag and pulled out a chip.

"Dorito, anyone?"

They glared at him.

"No?" He put the chip in his own mouth and chewed it, all eyes still focused on him. For a good time, no one spoke. Rob's head fell down to the table.

"BEN!" Melissa finally exclaimed. "We need a plan!"

"I'm thinking!" Ben snapped.

"Alright," Mike said, trying to get things started.. "What do we know?"

"He's a Dragoon." Rob said.

"But for what dragon?"

"I'm not sure I wanna meet that dragon." Ben admitted.

"And his powers are dark." Melissa put in. "Christie was our best shot and now she's out of it."

"His Dragoon is unnaturally powerful." Robert observed. "It ranks up there with Sean's."

"If we could get his Dragoon Spirit away from him, he'd be powerless." Ben said. "But the odds of that happening right now are slim to nil, so we gotta learn more about this guy, find out more weaknesses. What would really help would be to find out who he is, and then we could hunt him down while he's human. But does anybody have any leads at all?"

No one spoke for a minute.

"Well," Melissa confessed. "He likes me."

"You don't have to brag." Rob said.

"No! I ran into him last night."

"When?" Mike asked.

"Just before I came back home last night. I didn't say anything because, well…he threatened me."

Robert's head cocked in utter confusion. "_You_ were unnerved by a _threat_?"

"Hey, he's already hurt four of us. I didn't want the number to increase."

"So what happened?" Ben asked.

"He did the whole villain speech about how we could be allies cuz we both use dark powers. Of course, I refused. He started moving in on me and I was just waiting to stab him through the eye. He got pretty ticked when I wouldn't go with him and swore he could make my life a whole lot more miserable."

"But this is pretty good." Ben said. "It's a nice lead to figuring out his identity. Obviously, he knows who you are, so that narrows it down."

"But he could've been studying us from afar." Mike pointed out. "I mean, Melbu Frahma knew we were here, so he sent those Virages."

"But he didn't know us by name." Melissa said. "The Dark Dragoon does."

"But he can hide in the shadows; he may be spying on us."

"Yeah, the hiding in the shadows goes beyond what you guys know, also. He can actually shift his body to fit the darkness around, so he can be hiding in virtually any shadow or darkness that there is."

"That's comforting." Robert muttered.

"But," Ben said, trying to look at the bright side. "We can still use this. Melissa, if he likes you, he may not hurt you, I think. We might be able to exploit that for our advantage."

"Sounds good." Mike said. "But do we have any other plans?"

"Not a one." Robert confirmed. "Nothing past 'Attack, attack, attack'."

"We'll think of something." Ben said. "Other than that, he's very right. If anyone encounters, him, use your dragons to call everyone else and we'll fight him together."

They all agreed.

* * *

"Why do you hesitate?" The Black Dragon demanded.

"I can't…" The Dragoon-Human responded.

"You _must_! Can't you see? It's the perfect distraction!"

"I'm having second thoughts about releasing him anyway."

The Black Dragon wasn't pleased by this. "Ignorant human! He gave you your powers, he can take them away! What will you do then?"

The human found himself at a loss of words. "I don't know…but I can't do it! I just can't! I've crossed the line too many times already, but this is far beyond that line."

"You gave her fair warning." The Black Dragon hissed. "Now show her the consequences of not listening."

* * *

It had to be done and it had to be done quickly. The perfect opportunity arose that very night.

Once more, Mike had spent too much money at the arcade only to lose to Robert in the end. He walked home, feeling defeated. When he arrived, he saw his mother through the window…kissing her boyfriend. It made him sick in more than one way.

Mike decided he wasn't quite ready to go home, so he went for a walk. He didn't take the main roads; he preferred blazing his own trail. He soon left the suburbs behind and now, there was just a plain of dark nothingness, but he had never been afraid before and subconsciously wasn't now. He should have been noting the dangers of the darkness.

Without warning, it struck. Mike was knocked into the air. He flipped a few times before landing on his side. It had been a blunt strike, like a tackle. Before he could even think about returning the attack, something picked him up and threw him. Before he landed, the creature kicked him away. Mike had planned ahead this time and clutched his Dragoon spirit, drawing out its power. However, upon the last kick, the wind was knocked out of him, boggling his concentration.

_Why do you toy with him?_ The Dragon demanded. _Finish him while he is unprepared!_

The Black Dragoon charged again. This time, Mike was ready. He stuck out his fist with a little Dragoon power. The Black Dragoon hit the fist, bounced off, landed and quickly jumped up again, backflipping to kick Mike in the face, stunning him once more. The Black Dragoon drew his blades and sliced at his chest.

He missed! The Dragoon spirit was still around his neck, but there was a gash just under his chest.

_Quickly, quickly! Speed is his weakness!_

He stabbed again, but Mike moved out of the way just in time and punched him in the face, having no time to fully transform into a Dragoon. The Black Dragoon swung his foot up as he fell, kicking Mike in the face, then came back and stabbed again. Mike moved and the blade sliced his shoulder. He was barely able to duck down under the other blade as it stabbed at him and cut his shirt above his chest, but not the flesh.

Mike punched the Black Dragoon in the gut, hoping to knock the wind from him, but his armor was just too strong for a human punch. It did, however, get him to step back, allowing Mike to fully stand again.

The Black Dragoon stopped playing and rushed for the kill. He jumped forward, blending with the shadows, spinning his blades. Mike jumped back, trying to avoid the near-invisible blades. He felt the wind from each one, but they all missed. He saw a faint hint of something and he feared the worst. Mike dove to the side upon instinct and the Black Dragoon shot past him, his blade searing Mike's left side.

Mike stumbled and got back up quickly. He heard the blade whistling through the air and moved just in time, seeing the ground where he had been run through. He could only back up and hope to avoid, but the Black Dragoon was closer now. The enemy spun sideways with the downward stab, swinging his other blade down. It struck Mike on the side of the head and on part of his collarbone. Mike jumped back as he felt the breeze of a blade, millimeters from his face.

Finally, the Black Dragoon jumped and swung his right blade outward. Mike tried backing away, but every joint in his body froze when he felt burning metal slice across his throat. The Black Dragoon fired a black blast and Mike was thrown away.

Mike hit the ground and rolled. He was unsure of where he was or where the Black Dragoon was. All he knew was the pain in his throat and the danger of his situation. He clutched the wound and felt the blood oozing quickly. How deep had it gone? He didn't know…his mind was boggled…

The Golden Dragoon knew Mike was in dire trouble and that there was absolutely nothing he could do on his own. They were sitting ducks. The dragon quickly assessed the situation in the only way he knew how.

The dragoon spirit glowed a bright gold as a screeching, alarm-like sound blared in Mike's head.

The distress signal of a dragon.

* * *

Every dragon within several miles would be alerted.

Melissa was sitting on her bed, pondering everything about the last few days when she heard it. Her Dragoon spirit glowed brightly, but it wasn't the normal dark blue, but golden! And with it came an alarm sounding off inside her head.

"What the?" She exclaimed.

_The Golden Dragon is sending a distress signal!_ The Dark Dragon quickly explained.

She feared the worst. "Mike's in trouble!"

_Dire danger, I'm afraid. We must hurry! _

Melissa opened her window and jumped out. Her Dragoon powers filled her and she flapped her wings before hitting the ground and sped off towards the direction of the signal.

* * *

The Black Dragoon swung his fist up, creating a blast of magic from the ground. Mike flailed in the air and was somehow able to land on his feet. With the power of his dragon, Mike swung a great punch as the Black Dragoon came near. The enemy did not anticipate the attack and was sent flying across the field.

Mike didn't have his item sack, but he did carry a Healing Potion in his pocket for emergencies. He quickly took the small vial from his pocket and drank down the blue fluid.

It frightened him to see some of it dribble back down through his neck. He was in a lot of pain now and only hoped this would keep him alive, for it was not meant to completely heal him. Even if he lived, he was a sitting duck.

_Here he comes._ The Golden Dragon alerted him. Mike's spirit glowed and he forced all the power into himself that he could muster and rose up a great stone wall in front of him. Sure enough, a blade stuck through a bit and found itself embedded. Mike used this time to completely transform. He did so just in time.

The Black Dragoon saw that trying to remove his blade from the stone was useless, so, keeping his cloak, he jumped over it and landed behind Mike and kicked him into the blade. However, Mike had his armor on now, which, due to the Dragon's unnatural strength, was stronger than the other Dragoons' armor, so the blade was only broken under his might.

It seemed he would live and now, he had a fighting chance. Mike's axe appeared in his hand and he spun around to strike, but his blade landed on nothingness. The Black Dragoon had moved in place and now struck Mike in his upper right arm, where there was no protection. The blade tore through muscle, forcing Mike to release his grip on the axe. The Black Dragoon swung both feet up and kicked Mike in the back of the head and removed his blade.

Mike's arm was useless now, and he knew it. He tried using the other arm, but once more, the Black Dragoon moved without Mike seeing. He stabbed his left arm in the same way, and then bashed his face with his knee.

The Black Dragoon saw that his prey was helpless, so now, he could take his time. His dragoon spirit glowed a deep crimson red as he gathered power. With a cry, he released his attack, a red and black beam that enveloped Mike in a world of pain, for his armor could not defend well against magical attacks. With one final blast, Mike was launched across the field.

He hit the ground hard and felt a bone or two break in his left leg. His arms were also unusable. Overall, he was beaten and bloody. He could barely move, much less defend, and he had little energy to do so in the first place. To make matters worse, his spirit faintly shimmered as his dragoon powers left him.

_I'm sorry._ The Golden Dragoon weakly said. _I cannot protect you anymore…_

The Black Dragoon turned off his cloak. This was it.

He jumped high in the sky and came down with his blade ready to go through Mike's heart, and there was nothing his weakened opponent could do to stop it.

The Black Dragoon landed with his feet on either side of Mike's body and the sword barely touching his chest. His actions had halted with a sudden jerk.

Mike's heart already stopped, waiting for the attack. The sword shuddered in the Black Dragoon's hand and his breathing seemed heavy and uneven.

Then…he looked up and jumped back just before Melissa's rapier ran him through. She jumped and spun, swiping at his chest, then made her move. She had already put enough dark power to-hopefully-cancel out her opponent's darkness. She thrust her blade forward. It slid with some ease through his armor and even easier through flesh and organ. The blade came out through his back. To make sure he was dead, Melissa removed the blade from his heart and then shoved it through his skull.

Melissa pulled her blade out and waited for the fall.

The yellow glow of his eyes died out. Melissa breathed heavily.

The eyes turned red and looked up at her vilely. Melissa was stunned.

"You're not dead?" She exclaimed.

His voice was different now, darker than it had been, and more eerie. "Unfortunately for you."

"Flameshot!"

The Black Dragoon looked up too late and a great fireball struck him. He was knocked away, but flipped into the air and saw Ben coming at him. Robert was not far off in the distance. The Black Dragoon let out an evil laugh and flew away in the darkness.

Ben landed and watched his enemy fly away, then turned to more pressing matters. Melissa knelt by her brother, holding his hand tightly. Slowly but surely, he lifted his other hand and gave a thumbs up. Then he closed his eyes.

Melissa slowly stood and walked over to Ben. She kept her gaze upon the ground.

"I had him." She hissed. "I had him through the heart and through the head and still he lived."

"He lived?" Ben asked.

"Unfortunately for him…now I can kill him again."

Ben looked at Mike. "Is he alright?"

Melissa gave a faint not. Ben put his hand on her shoulder, but she smacked it away.

"I'm going after him." Melissa said, turning from him. She hadn't taken two steps before Ben's blade was rested on her shoulder, threatening.

"No you're not." Ben assured her.

Melissa's eyes narrowed. "You think you can stop me?" She spun, knocking Ben's blade away with her own. Both of them ended up with each other's blades at their throats.

Ben saw Melissa's face now. Her expression was dark and maleficent. Her eyes burned with intense hatred. It was a terrifying gaze, but Ben stood solid, unhindered by her threatening expression and deadly attitude.

Robert landed near them. "Whoa…what'd I miss that was so important?" He received no answer. "Okay…is Mike alright?"

"He's alive." Ben said.

"And I'm going after the Black Dragoon." Melissa said.

"No," Ben repeated. "You aren't."

Melissa's blade move a little closer to his throat and Ben's responded in the same way.

"Whoa, whoa." Robert said. "Everybody calm down."

Melissa turned her blade to Robert's throat. "DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!"

Ben moved his katana down to Melissa's armored chest and released a fireball from the tip, knocking her back a few feet.

"Think, Melissa!" Ben ordered. "First off, you don't know where he is. Second, you said yourself you stabbed him through the heart and the head and he lived, so what advantage do you have over him! None!"

Melissa got back up, a death grip on her rapier.

"Melissa," Ben continued. "We should get Mike to Ulara now. We'll concentrate on the Black Dragoon later, alright?"

Melissa knew he was right. She lowered her head and nodded again. Ben wanted to comfort her, but he knew she would only strike him again.

"C'mon."

Ben picked up Mike and they began the long flight to Ulara.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Things just keep getting worse and worse for the Dragoons. But how did their foe live? And what will become of the Dragoon forces? Those answers to come, but as of now, Spike and I have a prom to pimp out. :D Please review for now!


	5. Beaten, Broken, and Blind

Chatper Five: Beaten, Broken, and Blind

The Black Dragoon flew fast and flew hard. It took him a couple hours to reach his destination. He descended, landed, and fell onto his face.

A soul floated nearby. With some unseen guidance, it reached the body and reentered. A dark force surrounded the Black Dragoon's body, restoring him. Soon, it subsided. His Dragoon armor disappeared.

He began breathing once more. His eyes opened.

"What…" He whispered. "What happened?"

"You were struck down."

The Human-Dragoon looked up and around. He knew where he was.

"Frankly," the voice continued, "I am disappointed."

The Black Dragoon took himself over and found he was really alive.

"What did you do?" He asked.

"When you were killed, your soul was sent here, so I kept it until the dragon could bring you back. Then, I returned it to you."

He gritted his teeth. "I'd almost rather be dead." He pulled the Dragoon spirit from his pocket and threw it at a wall. "I quit! I'm out! I don't want to do this anymore!"

"Why not?"

"Because all I've done is hurt people."

"And…?"

"Listen, I don't know who or what you are, or what problems you have with the Dragoons, but they're _your_ issue, not mine!"

"You feel guilty." The voice translated.

"What do you expect?"

"Then why did you do those things to them in the first place?"

He shook his head. "It wasn't me. It was the dragon, _your_ dragon. Not mine."

"Then why do you feel guilty if you did nothing?"

"Because I was the one who released him."

"Uh-huh." The voice seemed unmoved. "Tell me. When you were the Black Dragoon, what did you feel when you did those things?"

What kind of a question was this? "What do you mean?"

"I mean did you feel bad about what you were doing? Did you feel guilt?"

He hesitated. "Not really…"

"Do you know why?"

"Because the Black Dragon has no emotion." He guessed.

"And neither did you. You see, when you are a Dragoon, you two are one in the same. Why wander around with eternal regret over what you have done?" The spirit shimmered on the ground. "Take it back…forget the emotion…forget the pain."

The voice was sinking deeper and deeper into his skull. He was right. He took a small baby step, then another.

"That's good." The voice encouraged. "Take another step…and another…yes…"

His strides became longer. When he got close enough, he fell to his knees. He could hear the dragon inside his head, beckoning him. He could feel the dragon…and his own feelings began to falter. He reached out his hand and the sting of regret subsided even more. Finally, he shot his hand out and snatched the dragoon spirit. His veins bulged with dark energy as the power traveled through his hand, up his arm, and deep into his heart. His breath rate increased as the black energy swarmed within him, tainting his soul.

"How do you feel?" The voice asked.

The human's hand twitched as it clutched the Dragoon Spirit. A smile slowly slid onto his face.

"Good…" he whispered.

"Good. Now…you must hurry for your next assignment."

* * *

Ulara was already visible when the Dragoons got there. Magical beams lit up the sky.

"Now what?" Robert groaned. They picked up the pace.

"Let me guess." Ben grumbled as they drew nearer.

Melissa suddenly shot past them and Ben didn't try to stop her. She flew to the uneven dark spot that her dragon detected and stabbed at it. The Black Dragoon moved and ducked under her next swipe.

"You're going to pay for everything you've done!" Melissa struck thrice more. Finally, the Black Dragoon blocked one and grabbed her wrist and twisted it behind her back. He grabbed her other arm and held it still as he whispered into her ear.

"You should have come to me I asked you…you can still come, if you wish." He nipped her earlobe lightly. Melissa cringed, disgusted.

"You're sick."

"Nah, I'm just more than you're used to."

Suddenly, a strong wind tore him from Melissa at a great speed and slammed him into a building. Robert flew over to Melissa.

"That is the most pathetic pick-up attempt I have EVER seen!"

Melissa had to chuckle and looked over to where the Black Dragoon had landed. He was gone!

"Where is he?"

The Black Dragoon hopped from shadow to shadow to escape the winglies. He'd already been damaged rather well by their surprising show of force. He ran to the long-range teleporter, a yellow pad circle on the ground with three curved spires each about eight feet tall. He grabbed one of them and pulled with all his might.

During this, he was exposed and the winglies jumped him again, firing rapid magic blasts. The Black Dragoon pulled harder under the force of the barrage and finally ripped the spire from its foundation and jumped to the sky. He fired one more blast from his Dragoon Spirit and flew away as fast as he could, blending in with the night sky.

Melissa flew to Charle's home, where she knew Ben had taken Mike. There, they discussed everything that had happened.

"Why would he attack this place?" Ben wanted to know.

"Perhaps he knows this is like our safe house." Robert shrugged. "Or he knew that he weakened dragoons would be here."

"Well, maybe, but attacking this place is just not smart! I mean there are tons of winglies here; they'd surely kill him."

"It appears the long-range teleporter was his goal." Charle explained to them. He took one of the spires that concentrate the transporting power."

"So…it doesn't work anymore, does it?" Robert translated.

"I'm afraid not, and it will take some time to repair."

"We'll just fly back then." Ben sighed. "Wonderful. Well, while we're here, how are the others?"

"Bradley is steadily recovering, Brittany is still in a coma, and Christie's handicap is making her restless. She actually tried healing herself, but in her state, the mental strain knocked her out. She'll wake in the morning, though, and try again, no doubt."

Ben chuckled. "That sounds like her…so I can't see her?"

"I'm afraid not. She needs her rest, as do the other Dragoons."

"And Sean?"

Charle sighed. "No status changes thus far."

"Nothing?"

"I'm afraid not."

Ben rubbed the bridge of his nose. "How does Sean do this all the time?" He muttered.

"Where is Melissa?" Charle wanted to know.

Robert spoke up. "Out wandering the city somewhere."

"How is she?"

"Her boyfriend is in a coma, her best friends are badly hurt, and her brother nearly died. What do you think?"

Charle nodded. "I think we need to stop underestimating this foe of ours and destroy him quickly, whoever he is."

"That's another thing." Ben sighed, sick of all the bad news. "Our dragons can't sense his."

Charle raised a brow. "That's odd."

"Yeah, and apparently, he can merge with any darkness. Thus, he has a great stealth advantage."

"This is not good."

"Heck no." Rob scoffed. "Every night, he can just come right up and kill us and we'll be helpless to stop him."

"We're not entirely helpless." Ben attempted.

Rob walked past him. "Tell that to the Dragoons lying in wingly beds right now."

Ben sighed. He was very right.

* * *

With the current circumstances and lack of sleep, Thursday was a very bad day for the last three Dragoons.

Robert was tired all day, thus he missed many important notes in one class, so he had no clue how to do the homework. He also near-failed a test in another class. He hoped to regain some energy at lunch, but he had no money to buy food with. The lack of sustenance made his basketball performance even worse. Throughout the whole practice, his coach was on his case. The semifinals were tomorrow and Rob's performance was pathetic.

The cheerleaders weren't around this time, either, so Rob felt even more alone. He wondered if that girl would be there. What was her name? Marian? But no, she was nowhere to be seen. Robert grabbed everything and headed out.

As he walked home alone, his eyes on the ground, his brain replayed everything once more. So much had happened all at once, and it only looked like it would get worse.

With his eyes on the ground and his mind not where it should have been, Robert strayed off course a little. He was walking beside a small road and didn't even see the speed limit sign before he walked right into it. Robert fell backwards and landed in the grass and mud, wet from an early rain.

"What next?" Robert grumbled.

Just then, a car drove by and hit a puddle, splashing the water onto Robert.

A small smile was upon his face. "Nope," Rob said. "Didn't need that."

He lay, staring up at the sky, wondering what to do now. Should he get up and keep going or just lie here and take whatever came next. Then, a figure loomed over him. It was Marian!

"You okay?" She asked.

Once more, Rob's macho instinct kicked in. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine." He reeled his feet back, catapulted up, and flipped right into the speed limit sign that was still in front of him and fell back down.

"You okay?" Marian asked in the exact same tone.

Rob sighed. "It's just one of those days."

"What days?"

"You can't save the world right, your friends are being picked off one bye one, you're being watched by an invisible enemy, your grades suffer, you can't eat, so your coach yells at you, you run into a sign you pass every day, and you can't impress a girl to save your life. You know, one of those days when life knocks you down, then kicks you around for a little while?"

Marian nodded. "I know those days."

They both had to chuckle, for a reason they could not decipher.

"So it just hasn't been your day?"

"Not been my week, actually." Rob said.

"What's up?"

"Long story." He shook his head and pulled himself back onto his feet. Quickly, he began looking for something to say. "So, uh…you live out here?"

"Nearby, yeah."

"Can I, uh…Can I walk you home?"

Marian seemed stunned, but delighted. "Yes! Erm…that would be nice."

Rob chuckled and walk alongside her. He needed times like this to help him overcome the difficulties of being a Dragoon.

* * *

Melissa had received nearly no sleep at all. All night she tossed and turned, trying to get the images out of her mind, but they stuck to her like glue. She was itching for revenge against the Black Dragoon, but it would not come. After nearly a week of this madness, Melissa was ready to crack at any moment.

It was after school. She and Adam were in the school computer lab typing up a lab report, the most boring and irritating part of the whole experiment.

"Uh, it's 'Cu', not 'C.' Adam pointed out. "Cu is copper. C is Carbon."

Melissa's eye twitched. "Okay." She whispered.

Adam had noticed her situation, but thought it wise not to pry.

"Um…" Adam began, "You, uh…added wrong there."

Melissa went back to fix her error, pounding on the keys. "I really don't need this right now."

"You want me to do it?" Adam offered.

"No!" She said it a bit more forcefully than she had intended. "I can handle this."

Adam sensed a double meaning, but again knew not to bug her about it. Soon enough, another situation came up.

"Um…" He was very hesitant this time. "You, uh…you put Carbon again."

Melissa needed an outlet. With a curse, she slammed her fists down on the keyboard. Suddenly, the screen became fully blue. Melissa stared at it.

"What…happened?" She seethed.

Adam gulped. "Well, it, uh…it looks like it kinda…crashed."

Melissa grinded her teeth. They'd been working for half an hour without saving any data. Melissa began randomly typing away at the keyboard, hoping to regain the regular screen. Nothing worked.

"C'mon." She ordered. Still nothing. "C'mon!" Finally, she pounded the keyboard again, and then shoved it to the side in frustration.

Melissa rested her elbows on the table and put her face in her hands.

Adam was shocked. "Are…are you crying?"

She wiped her face so he wouldn't see, but still tried not to look at him. "I don't cry…I'm the tough girl, remember?" her voice was cracking.

Adam looked around. They were the only ones in the computer lab. He leaned over to her.

"Well…nobody's looking…"

Somehow, that seemed to work. Melissa let it out and wept right then and there. Not sure of what to do, Adam rubbed her back. To his surprise, she turned to him and buried her face in his chest as she cried. Still unsure, Adam put his arms around her. She held him tighter.

The two of them stayed like this for a good while as Melissa unleashed her emotions upon Adam.

When it was finally over, Melissa pulled herself away. "Gosh…how embarrassing." She chuckled. She now knew how Sean felt when he unloaded his feelings in Ulara.

Adam scratched the back of his head. "Well…everyone cries now and then."

"I'm supposed to be the tough girl, though." Melissa muttered.

"I heard somewhere that crying actually makes you stronger."

Melissa smiled a little. "Thanks, Adam…I really needed that."

"No problem."

"But it's funny…you didn't even ask me what was wrong."

"Well, I figured that if I asked, you'd gouge my eyes out with the mood you were in. Overall, I figured it was better not to ask. I mean…does it matter?"

Melissa smiled brighter, then leaned over and kissed his cheek. "You're sweet."

Adam was shocked.

They went to another computer and finished the lab report, and then they headed out.

"So…you coming to the game tomorrow?" Adam asked.

Melissa nodded. "Yeah, I think I will."

"Cool." Adam said. "I'll see you there."

Melissa waved. "Bye." And she turned and left.

_There, you see?_ The voice said when she had gone. Adam pulled the Black Dragoon Spirit from his pocket and looked at it. _You're getting just what you wanted._

Adam felt that he should be happier than he was. In truth, he was pondering over whether or not it was worth it.

* * *

All week, Hank had been going over Anna's old things, now finally being able to understand most of them. She had several notebooks in code that he was no able to decipher. She kept many records of her adventures in the world. She had been traveling for quite some time before she met him.

Hank remembered how it happened. Hank was very into the baseball game, but the woman next to him just seemed confused. She finally expressed her confusion and Hank tried to help her understand why the players made more money than the government.

"Everybody loves entertainment," Hank had said, "But who likes politics?"

With that line, he had her attention. They got to talking through the game. Anna told him she was a vagabond, wandering from place to place, never really staying in one place. She apparently was going to leave the next day, so Hank asked if he could "properly show her the city" that night. She agreed.

Hank saw her thoughts now. She had found herself at a dilemma that evening. She knew she should go on and try to find the bearer of the Divine Dragoon Spirit, which was the whole reason for her leaving Ulara. But then again, this Hank guy was…pretty amazing. Anna decided to stay and see how things went.

Hank had been afraid that Sean was the only reason she had stayed, but he found he was wrong, quite wrong, so his hopes were renewed. Sean was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

Hank continued reading.

_I told Sean today that we'd be flying a good distance. He swore he was ready. He later discovered he was wrong. The poor boy was wiped out!  
_

_I wanted to show him a few things from the forgotten worlds that still remained, such as the ruins of wingly cities and famous places where the Dragoons of old had been._

_The last place we went was Seles. I wanted to show this to Sean because it was where the last Divine Dragoon, Dart, lived centuries ago. Here, I discovered the most remarkable thing since the Divine Dragoon Spirit: The Dragon Buster! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it! It took it with me so that it could not fall into the wrong hands, for Sean is still learning…_

Hank looked up. Dragon Buster? What was that?

Before leaving Ulara, Hank had also obtained an old wingly book of historical records so that he could familiarize himself with the history of Dragoons and such. It also helped him understand some of Anna's notes.

Hank flipped through page after page until he finally found the Dragon Buster. It was a sword made by Melbu Frahma nearly twelve thousand years ago. He used it to gain an edge in the Dragon Campaign. It was a sword specially designed to kill dragons; it could through their scales like a razor blade through hot butter. Because a Dragoon's armor is fashioned from a dragon, the sword worked the same for them.

Suddenly, Hank began thinking.

* * *

Ben came home after school, walked upstairs, dropped his backpack on the ground, and fell down onto his bed. He felt very beaten from the whole ordeal. Under his rule, the Dragoons had lost four of their members.

"Sean wouldn't have lost anybody." Ben muttered to himself. He strained his brain to think of a plan, but nothing seemed to overcome the advantage of stealth that belonged to the Black Dragoon. He needed sleep right now, though. Maybe that would help him think better. Ben closed his eyes and dozed off.

Ben awoke not long after in a world of fire. He'd been here before. The Red-Eye Dragon was connecting their minds so they could speak feely. Technically, Ben's mind was now inside the Red-Eye Dragoon spirit.

The ironic thing is that the Red-Eye Dragon actually had _green_ eyes. His skin, however, was red. He was of average size for a dragon, but had a much smaller appearance in this realm to talk to Ben easier. He was about Ben's height now, if you didn't count the large wings. His head was long and came to a point at the nose. His shoulders were like thick spikes coming from his legs and the knees on all of his legs had points to them. The Dragon was built for any kind of combat.

"What's up?" Ben asked the dragon.

"You shouldn't blame yourself." Red-Eyes told him. "It wasn't your fault."

"Somehow, I think Sean could do a much better job."

The dragon scoffed. "Probably, but that isn't saying much. I mean Sean is a born leader, no doubt about it. That doesn't mean you have to be too far behind, though."

Ben wasn't convinced.

"Look," Red-Eyes continued. "We're up against a much stronger enemy than we could have imagined. None of us would ever suspect a Dragoon going _against_ us. He took most of us by surprise. We're slowly starting to understand our foe, but until then, we have to play it by ear."

Ben shook his head. "If we knew who he was…"

"But we don't. What I'd like to know is just what dragon is giving him all his powers."

"And you say you can't sense it?"

Red-Eyes shook his large head. "No, I can't. We were right in front of him last night and I felt nothing. The Golden Dragoon said he was completely taken by surprise last night. Even the Dark Dragon can barely sense him and that's by feeling the darkness, not the dragon itself."

"And Melissa said that she stabbed the Black Dragoon in the heart and the head and he didn't die. What dragon can do that?"

"None that I know of, but this worries me."

"Why?"

"This is obviously a power of darkness, but not all dark powers can do such a trick. Only the highest of powers have that ability."

"What exactly are you saying?"

"I'm saying that that this dragon may be more powerful than we think. If he can restore fatal wounds, he must have some demonic dealings of sorts. That means he is both very powerful and very evil."

Ben sighed. "All eight of us could quite possibly tackle him, I think, but just three?"

"You'll think of something."

"Ben?" A voice called. Ben's mind left the dragon realm and returned to the real world just as his mother entered the room. "Oh! Sorry. I didn't know you were sleeping."

"No, it's okay. What's up?"

"Someone's on the phone for you."

"Okay, thanks." She left and Ben picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Ben? It's Hank."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Look, I think I may have found a clue to defeating the Black Dragoon."

Ben raised a brow. "You do?"

"Yeah, ever heard of something called a Dragon Buster?"

"Dragon Buster?"

Suddenly, the Red-Eye Dragoon spirit glowed mightily in recognition of the term.

"Come over here and I'll explain everything." Hank said.

"Uh, okay. Later." He hung up and was quickly sent back to the dragon realm.

"Did you say Dragon Buster?" The Red-Eye Dragon asked.

"Yeah, Hank said something about being able to defeat the Black Dragoon and then asked if I knew of something called a Dragon Buster."

The dragon seemed very excited. "This could be a turning point!"

"Why? What's the Dragon Buster?"

"Do you remember back during the last battle with Melbu Frahma, when Sean came back and helped kill him?"

"Yeah."

"Do you remember the sword he used?"

Suddenly, it came back to Ben. "The Dragon Buster!"

"Yes, the sword used for killing dragons. Oh, but I feel so foolish for not thinking of this before!"

"Me too, but don't worry. Everything's alright now. The Black Dragon may be demonically powerful, but it's still a dragon." A smile appeared on Ben's face. "Let's go talk to Hank."

* * *

Hank explained everything.

"If we could find the Dragon Buster, we could have an edge on this guy. He could die in a single stroke!"

"Yeah, Dragoon armor becomes useless against it." Ben said.

"Not just useless, but _worse_ than useless! It actually becomes better to have no armor on at all than to have the Dragon's armor on."

"This is good. This is very good."

"But how do we find the Dragon Buster?"

"Don't worry." Ben smiled. "Sean has it somewhere. He used it in our battle against Melbu Frahma. I haven't seen it on him for a while, so he might have it in his room somewhere. Let's check it out!"

They rushed to Sean's room and began searching.

* * *

Robert was able to pull a full 180 on Friday evening. He received much enthusiasm and encouragement from Marian and found himself with a renewed energy. Plus, he had the home team advantage. The fans were cheering their hardest the whole evening and Rob couldn't remember ever feeling more alive.

In the very end, they were only one point ahead. If the opposing team got a single shot in, they won. A time out was called and Robert conversed quickly with Adam.

This was a rare circumstance in which Robert felt uncomfortable with the jump ball situation. This guy was actually taller than he was. The ball went up and the opponent was able to smack the ball away.

Adam bolted. The opponent soon found himself in a bind and passed the ball. Adam jumped up and smacked the ball high into the air. Robert jumped up and grabbed it. Adam got up and bolted once more. Robert went a bit, and then threw the ball as far across the court as he could. Adam caught it and planted an easy lay-up. The home team crowd went wild as the buzzer sounded a second later.

Ben and Melissa went to wait for Rob after it was all over.

"So this thing can really cut through a dragon's armor that easily?" Melissa asked yet again.

Ben sighed. "For the millionth time, yes! Stop worrying!"

At that moment, Robert ran up from the locker room. "Guys, start worrying!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, now what? The Dragoons finally have a plan, but how will it fair? Please review!


	6. Handicapped

OPENING NOTES: To Seraphim Emperor: Don't worry about the spelling/grammar comment...I have a lot of those, I know. I'm trying to pick them out, but my darn spell check doesn't like me. Thanks for the review, though!

Thanks to all for your supportive reviews!

Chapter Six: Handicapped

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND YOUR DRAGOON SPIRIT?" Ben exploded. They had moved outside for utter secrecy when discussing this dilemma.

"I mean it has exceeded my visual capabilities!" Robert replied "What do you think I mean?"

"How could you lose it?" Melissa asked frantically.

"Hey! I did NOT lose it! No way would I lose something that valuable!"

"Then what happened?"

"It's just a theory," Robert said. "But I think it was stolen."

"By who?" Melissa then answered her own question. "The Black Dragoon, you think?"

"It's a hunch." Robert sighed. "Man, I gotta find it!"

"Find what?" Adam asked, coming upon them.

Robert grabbed his shoulders. "Adam! Have you seen my green necklace?"

"The one you wear all the time? No." Adam seemed very frightened by Robert's desperate and demanding expression.

"Dyah! I can't find it anywhere!" Rob released him.

"Is it that important?" Adam asked.

"Yes!"

"Why?"

Rob hesitated. "It just is, okay!"

"Okay…well, if I find it I'll tell you, okay?"

"Okay." Rob nodded, calming himself. "See ya."

"See ya. Good game, Robbie; nice pass. Bye, Melissa."

She smiled. "Bye." Adam left.

Ben caught the look in her eye. "Did I miss something?"

"Hm?" Melissa looked up at him.

"That look you gave him."

"Oh…well, he kinda came to me in my distress. I, uh…kinda broke down when we were doing a project and he comforted me."

"That's nice."

"Yeah, that's a very sweet story," Robert mocked, "But we have a more pressing issue here!"

"Right," Ben nodded. "Okay, we'd best start searching."

* * *

It was Saturday morning. The Dragoons had searched everywhere for that Dragoon Spirit, but found nothing. They stuck to the theory that the Black Dragoon had stolen it and that they would steal it back next they saw him. Ben knew that it was up to himself and Melissa now to defend the world. Ben was still counting on the Dragon Buster, though.

Ben and Melissa went around the city, using their Dragoon Spirits to try and locate the one that was missing.

Unsure of what to do, Robert went back to the school, but of course, it was locked. He felt very helpless.

"What do I do?" He sighed.

"Another one of those days?"

Rob turned.

"Marian! Hi! Wow, how do you keep finding me?"

She shrugged. "Magic."

Rob chuckled. "You, uh, you doing anything?"

"Nope!"

"Walk with me, talk with me."

They headed out with no particular destination. Once more, Robert felt a release from the current stress.

It wouldn't last.

During the walk, Robert felt something…something familiar. He stopped.

"What's up?" Marian asked.

"I, uh…hang on."

Rob looked down an alley. It was coming from there, whatever it was. Robert went into the alley.

"What are you doing?" Marian wondered, following him.

"I gotta check something." Robert continued inward. Yes, he knew this feeling.

Something glowed green at a corner in the alley. Robert pressed forward. There it was!

"What's that?" Marian asked, pointing.

Robert smiled. "What I lost." He trotted over to it. He heard the Jade Dragon speak to him then.

_HEAD'S UP!_

Robert froze and looked up. With pure instinct, Robert jumped backwards as the Black Dragoon came down upon him. His blade impaled the ground that Robert had just been standing on.

Marian shrieked in fright as Robert jumped back to his feet, ready to fight, though he knew he couldn't win.

The Black Dragoon stood up tall.

"A mouse to the trap." He chuckled. "C'mon, Robbie. I thought you were better than that."

"What is that?" Marian exclaimed.

"Marian, run." Robert told her.

"Too late!" The Black Dragon laughed. His hands gathered up dark energy. There was nowhere to run; they were too far into the alley now. The Black Dragoon fired. Robert flinched.

Light flashed as powers collided. Robert opened his eyes upon realizing he wasn't dead. His jaw dropped at what he saw.

Marian stood in front of him now, her hand outstretched, creating a magical barrier to protect them both. She looked a little different, however. Her hair was no longer blonde, but her platinum silver roots had cut through the dye. Plus, two silver wings now emitted from her back.

The Black Dragoon stopped his onslaught to see what was stopping him and was equally stunned.

"What the?" He exploded. While he was stunned, Marian fired a white blast, knocking him into the wall. The Black Dragoon got up and faced off with her. Power emitted from her, creating a radioactive appearance around her body. The Black Dragoon decided he didn't need this. He grabbed the Jade Dragoon spirit and slid away in the shadows.

He had barely turned before he found himself face-to-face with Dragoon Ben and Dragoon Melissa.

As it turned out, Ben and Melissa had finally tracked the Dragoon Spirit when it called to Rob and raced over to see the danger it was warning him of.

"Huh." The Black Dragoon said. "Didn't see this one coming."

Melissa shot forward first as a quick distraction so he wouldn't move again. The Black Dragoon jumped to the side, but was then trapped there. Ben knew this was the moment to strike. He drew his weapon.

It looked like a simple dragon's head, but when a hand was inserted in its back, a fiery blade emerged from the dragon's mouth. Such irony that a Dragoon would use the weapon of his own destruction.

In a feeling of slow-motion, Ben ran forward, blade high. The Black Dragoon saw him and held up his own blade to block it. Of course, that blade had also come from the dragon, so it was also useless.

Ben swung the blade down.

CLANG!

The swords struck and all was still for a brief second.

Ben stared in horror upon seeing that the blade was still intact. The Black Dragoon swung his other blade around and Ben jumped over him. He swung the Dragon Buster down again and this time got his armored glove.

The Black Dragoon grunted under the impact, but the armor was barely dented! He jumped back over the Black Dragoon to avoid one more strike and finally got a slice of his chest. The armor had a small slice in it, but that was the extent of the damage.

_What…?_ The Red-Eye Dragon whispered in Ben's mind. The Black Dragoon fired a great black beam and shot Ben out of the alley and across the street to the shock of the civilians. Ben quickly jumped up to the roof of a small building so no one would recognize him and looked back as Melissa and the Black Dragoon rose up and began their own short duel. That last attack had been surprisingly powerful and it would take a moment for Ben to recover. He could only hope Melissa could hold him off until then.

Melissa thrust her rapier forward and the Black Dragoon moved to the side and drew back his blade to stab, but to his surprise, Melissa shot her fist out, catching him in the face, then she swung her blade to the side, slashing his stomach, though his armor protected him.

The Black Dragoon lunged at her and Melissa ducked under him as he flew, but he was able to kick her from above. Melissa quickly regained her altitude and clashed her sword with his once he returned. He simply held her blade at bay and thrust his other blade forward, striking her right under the ear. She winced and the Black Dragoon kicked her away.

Before Melissa could regain composure, he tackled her and took her down to the alleyways for a closer combat. Melissa made her move, jumping and swinging her blade down. The Black Dragoon held his blades up to defend, but once the blades clashed, she flipped under them and kicked him in the stomach, knocking the air from him. She stabbed at his head, but he moved it to the side in the knick of time and kicked her away. Lightning quick, he caught up with her and kicked her into the nearest wall. Before she could even think of recuperating, the Black Dragoon rammed his blade through her wing and through the brick of the building.

Melissa cried out and the Black Dragoon rammed his other blade through her right forearm, causing her to drop her blade. He pulled the blade out and simply grasped her upper arm, pressing his weight up against her. This and the sword in her wing prevented her from moving.

Melissa grinded her teeth and took the pain as best she could. The Black Dragoon ceased his assault and leaned in close, as he always did when he was alone with her. Then, the bottom part of his helmet shifted. It split down the middle and slid to the side, so she could see his smile.

"You're lucky I like you so much." He chuckled. His voice seemed a bit more human.

"Let me guess." Melissa said. "You want me to go over to your side."

"Have I not yet proven that it is the more beneficial one?"

She shook her head. "I don't care about benefits. I care about morals."

He cocked his head. "A _Dark_ Dragoon cares about _Morals_?"

"I was human before I was a Dragoon. How about you? What sick race do you come from?"

He scoffed. "Does it matter? I have single-handedly removed nearly every obstacle in my path. All that remains is the Fire Dragoon, other than you, my dear."

"Don't call me that again."

"Your powers have failed you, your friends have fallen, and your stubbornness won't help you."

"No, but it's real annoying, ain't it?" She grinned.

The Black Dragoon created a black force to hold her in place so he could remove his arm and his blade, giving a bit of relief to Melissa. His blade disappeared and his wrapped that arm around her. The other hand stroked her face.

"Actually, I think it's kinda sexy."

Melissa's eyes narrowed. "Don't you dare."

He did. The Black Dragoon moved in close and kissed her full on the mouth. Melissa's eyes shot open in shock. It disturbed her that she could do nothing about it. But then, something happened. His black Dragoon Spirit began to shimmer and flow through his body and into hers!

Melissa felt an evil presence beginning to overwhelm her. A strange presence…drew her to him. Some darkness calling her…what was this? Where were these inhibitions coming from?

Melissa felt her defenses fall, as did the Black Dragoon. He smiled slightly, parting the kiss for a moment. "Well?" He said. "What do you think now?"

The girl tried her best to be defiant, but her mouth would not move at all.

"One way or another," The Black Dragoon continued, "You're going to love me."

With the last shred of sanity in her, Melissa's mind cried out for help. The Dark Dragon answered.

With a power not seen before by Melissa, the Dark Dragon struck back against this evil filling her bearer's body. The Black Dragoon was a master in the black arts, but the Dark Dragon was also not one to be taken lightly. Her powers only grew, forcing the poison out of Melissa's body.

The Black Dragoon sensed resistance and pressed harder.

"What power do you have over me?" He chuckled.

Melissa's eyes burned. "Let's find out." Her Dragoon Spirit glowed even brighter as yet more power fought against the Black Dragoon. For a moment, both dark powers tangled, each trying to cancel out the other. Melissa felt her body straining under the power. Her opponent also noticed.

"Your body cannot take the strain of such high power-not for long, at least. Your vessel will shred within mere moments."

Melissa gave a small smile. "It's still better than being with you."

That seemed to strike deep within the Black Dragoon. His expression was not a happy one. His jaw clenched tight and the mouthpiece of the helmet quickly formed together again.

"I'll show you!" He exploded, pouring more power in. Before he could get far, Robert performed a flying kick, knocking the Black Dragoon away.

"Don't you know how to treat a lady?" Robert smiled, even though he knew Melissa hated the term "lady."

The Black Dragoon jumped up and fired a black wave, knocking Robert back into a wall. Melissa was still recovering, so she was an easy target for the Black Dragoon's next attack. He ran over and gave an incredible punch, knocking her into the wall. The foundation of the building shook and pieces of brick crumbled around her. Melissa fell from the wall, slipping from consciousness.

As her vision faded, her Dragoon powers left her. The Black Dragoon took this opportunity to snatch up her Dragoon Spirit.

"You won't be so lucky next time." With that, he simply flapped his wings and flew away from the scene, victorious again.

Ben finally recovered and began searching for Melissa when he saw the Black Dragoon fly away. Ben hurried to investigate the scene and saw Robert checking up on Melissa.

"What happened?" Ben asked.

"He knocked us both back." Robert explained. "She's alive, but out cold. However, he took her Dragoon spirit."

Ben let out a heavy sigh. "Perfect. Just perfect." He threw his arms in the air and let them drop limp at his side. "How did the Dragon Buster fail?" He whispered. Robert wasn't sure what to say.

"I guess you'll be taking her to Ulara then?"

Ben groaned. "I guess…you okay?"

Robert nodded. "Took a Healing Potion. I'll be fine."

"Good."

"Hey, have you seen Marian?"

"Who?"

"Right. You don't know her. She's about yay tall with blonde hair…or actually, it's silver now. Anyhow, she saved me from the Black Dragoon."

"How?"

"She created a magic shield. She's a wingly!"

"Wingly!"

"Yeah! Incredible, isn't it?"

"Where is she?"

"That's what I want to know. Looks like she vanished."

"I suggest you find her and talk to her about all this." Ben looked down at Melissa. "I'm going to take her to Ulara. Take care."

"You too."

Ben picked up Melissa and flew away, knowing the path all too well.

* * *

Marian ran the whole way home with her hood up to conceal her silver hair. Tears were beginning to fall from her eyes.

_Not again…_

She kept repeating those two words in her head. She ran into her house, hoping nobody was home, but her mother was. She just hoped she'd be ignored. Marian walked to her room, closed the door behind her, locked it, and jumped onto her bed.

A knock soon rapped upon the door.

"Marian?" Her mother called. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Marian lied.

"Doesn't sound like nothing. Open up."

"I don't want to."

Suddenly, the lock opened and her mother opened the door, a small swirl of magic surrounding her finger. Marian sat up in her bed, curled up in a ball, pulled her hood further over her head and pulled the strings tight. Her mother sat down on the bed next to her.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Marian curled up tighter. "I'm not moving again! I'm not!"

"What?" Her mother connected the dots on her own. "Oh, no…did you display your powers _again_?" The silence was answer enough. Her mother threw herself backwards onto the girl's bed, rubbing her temples. "Marian, you continue to tell us how you hate moving, but you bring it upon yourself!"

Marian removed her hood. "Mom, I had no choice! I had to defend myself!"

The older female sat up. "Marian, I've told you before. Teleporting away from bullies is no excuse!"

"No! It wasn't like that! I was attacked by a monster!"

"A monster?"

"Yeah…some black thing. I don't know what it was, but it fired a beam and I had to protect us!"

"Us?" Her mother caught on. "Who is 'us'?"

Marian hesitated and rested her chin on her knees.

"Marian?" Her mother's eyes narrowed. Marian finally admitted it.

"Robert Williams."

"Robert…the basketball star?"

"Yep."

"What were you doing with him?" But once more, she figured out the answer herself. She sighed. "Marian, we've been over this a dozen times."

"I know." Marian mumbled. Her mother said it anyway.

"You cannot get into a relationship with a human. It wouldn't work!"

Marian didn't speak, her eyes fixed upon the bedsheets. Her mother moved closer and put her arm around her daughter. "Sweetheart, I know how badly you want to be with somebody, but it just can't happen between you and a human. Our lives are longer than theirs and you would only end up heartbroken."

Marian shook her head. "Mom, this one was different."

"They're all different, honey."

"Just hear me out, okay? You said yourself he's the basketball star. He's always surrounded by cheerleaders, all of which adore him. He could have had his pick of any one of them. Heck! He could've had every last one of them if he desired, but you know what? He didn't. I saw that look in his eyes…he chose me."

Her mother gave a small smile at the romantic story.

"I didn't even do anything!" Marian continued. "I just stood there as he ran by. I took my hoodie off and he just stared at me!"

"You _what_?" her mother exclaimed.

"I had clothes underneath. Don't freak out, mom." She rolled her eyes. "But he actually fell down the stairs because he was looking at me!" She laughed. "For the longest time, I thought a girl like me would never have a chance with a superstar like him, but…it wasn't so. He actually seemed glad to see me each time from then on."

"And what happened?" Marian's mother asked.

"Well…that thing attacked us and I put up a shield to protect us. That thing began to leave, but it seemed to be attacked by something else."

"By what?"

"I don't know…once Robert wasn't looking, I ran. I was scared or what he'd think, so I just ran…but I'm not moving! Not again…"

Marian's mother thought long and hard. "Well…I suggest you talk to Robert about it, at least."

Marian's eyes shot open. "You mean it?"

"Just to see what's going on exactly and to find out what he thinks of all this...and about this...whatever it was...that attacked."

Marian jumped on her mother, wrapping her arms around her.

"No promises!" Her mother continued. "I'll talk to your father and we'll work something out, okay?"

"Deal!" She hugged her mother again.

* * *

Melissa would recover quickly, thankfully; her case wasn't like the others. She would be tended to by the winglies until she woke up, which shouldn't be too long.

Ben sat atop a wingly rooftop, still clad in his dragon armor. His wings dropped, as did his head. Little life seemed to surge through him.

"I failed." He muttered to his dragon.

_You haven't failed yet._ The Red-Eye Dragon assured him.

"Oh? Under my command, Christie and Mike were beaten to a pulp, Brad overcharged himself and Brittany took the hit from that, Robert and Melissa both had their Dragoon Spirits stolen, Sean hasn't woken up yet, and none of my ideas have worked thus far."

_But you're still here, aren't you?_

"So?"

_So, you haven't yet failed. Look at it this way. The Black Dragoon has always tried to have the stealth approach. He has not dared to seriously attack you yet. He fears you, I think._

Ben understood. "I should meet him in a real challenge."

_I agree. If you can get him to fight you like a man, we might be able to win._

"You think so?"

_It's a distinct possibility. He has not yet felt your full strength…and he has not yet felt my wrath._

Ben nodded and stood to his feet. "Alright then. Chances are he'll come back here to finish whatever he started. This armor doesn't come off until the battle is over. This time, we'll be ready for him."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: The Dragoons knocked from eight to one. It's all up to Ben now. Will he rise victorious or be crushed beneath the foot of darkness? Find out in the next chapter. Review until then, if you will.


	7. Revenge

Chapter Seven: Revenge

The sun was falling fast. Ben kept himself hidden within Ulara. The Black Dragoon would have no advantage this time. It would be a real battle; one-on-one, no holds bar.

_I have a good feeling about the upcoming battle._ The Red-Eye Dragon said.

"That's good to hear." Ben replied.

_As I stated earlier, he has yet to face you like a man, so he probably has doubts about his chances for victory. He has right to. He may have defeated the other Dragoons easily, but their downfall has only increased your already impeccable might._

Ben smiled. "Trying to make me blush or something?"

The Dragon chuckled in Ben's mind. _No, just trying to boost the morale. You're an excellent fighter, given the chance._

"Odds are he'll try to cheat his way out, though. You know, hiding in the shadows?"

_That is one way of fighting, but I've already thought up a few ideas. Check this out…

* * *

_

Melissa lay in her bed, slightly restless, but still in a fair deal of pain. Charle was keeping her company.

"How's Sean?" Melissa had to ask.

Charle sighed. "Still no improvement on his status, I'm afraid. We're keeping him alive and well, of course, and we have the best of the best guarding him."

Melissa lay her head back down, dissatisfied. "If we knew who the Black Dragoon was, this would be so much easier."

"Perhaps that's what you should work on while you wait." Charle suggested. "What clues has the Dragoon left you?"

Melissa shrugged. "None, really. Oh, he has a crush on me, but that can be a million people-not to brag."

Charle chuckled. "Think harder."

She tried, but got nowhere. "I dunno…well…what's the status on everybody else?"

A strange smile covered Charle's face.

* * *

Darkness rested upon the desert. Ulara lay quiet, save for the trickling streams and nocturnal creatures in the forests. Time to move.

The Black Dragoon crept within the shadows of the buildings, silent as a cat stalking its prey. He had his cloak of darkness, but he still had to be cautious. After stealing the spire, the winglies would be on alert. It seemed as through no winglies were about, but the Black Dragoon knew better than anyone that just because you can't see them doesn't mean that they aren't there.

He quickly arched his dark body as a shadow and hopped to another dark spot. He was close, but this was where things got very dangerous. The remaining spires were not a hundred feet away, but the path ahead was clear. He needed another spire, however. He had to take the risk in running.

The Black Dragoon reared himself back, one foot ready to push with all its might to launch himself forward. His wings lifted and poised for action. With a burst of strength, his wings flapped hard as he took off, carrying him forward. The flapped his wings hard while running at the same time for extra momentum.

There were two spires remaining, so he had his pick. He ran to the nearest one. No winglies came out to surprise him, but The Black Dragoon knew that they would think him foolish and arrogant; they would jump him at the spires themselves, just as he reached for them.

Sure enough, ten feet away, a wingly appeared and fired a white beam. The Black Dragoon jumped clear over him and kicked off the spire to reach the next one. However, the winglies had anticipated his foresight. Another wingly appeared and kicked the Black Dragoon in the face, knocking him back.

Then, a few more winglies grabbed hold of him and rushed off at great speed. The Black Dragoon barely had time to think "Are they _carrying_ me?" before they reached their destination. The winglies tossed him into a tall building and he landed on his feet.

The Black Dragoon quickly figured out that he was in a large gym, set up to act as an arena. He also quickly figured out just why he had been put here.

"Well," The Black Dragoon said with an unseen smile. "I can see that I'll be here a bit longer than intended."

Ben nodded. "I set this up."

"Did you now?" The Black Dragoon was obviously unafraid.

"Every battle, you have surprised us with your appearance, but not this time."

"It unnerves you, doesn't it?"

"What does?"

"The fact that all of your Dragoon friends have fallen around you in one form or another. You're all that's left."

A small smirk slid onto Ben's face. "Unnerved? Not really. You have yet to fight me, remember? And I have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"Is that so?"

"It is. Now, do you think you can face me like a man?" Ben's sword was ready and his Dragoon powers already surging.

The Black Dragoon chuckled as his blades appeared in his hand. "Ready and waiting."

"Then c'mon."

"Alright." Suddenly, he jumped back into the shadows of the dark room and vanished from sight.

"Still can't fight like a man?" Ben shouted into the darkness.

"Stealth is another form of fighting, Fire Dragoon." The Black Dragoon pointed out. "It's not my fault if you cannot counter to my strategy." He had been moving to Ben's side and now rushed in for the attack.

Suddenly, a great blast of fire shot out from all ends of Ben's body. The Black Dragoon was scorched in the searing flames and forced to stop his assault and back track. Ben now had a bubble of fire around him about twenty feet thick. The glow of the flames easily illuminated most of the room.

"As you can see," Ben said. "That trick won't work this time." He wasn't breaking a sweat.

The Black Dragoon moved himself again, careful to stay out of the light and tried again, but once more, the fire burned him. He gathered his strength and shot forward at yet another angle, forcing himself to ignore the flames.

However, by the light of the fire, Ben could see his foe and easily blocked his sword attacks and knocked him back. The Black Dragoon jumped out of the fiery bubble and hovered for a bit, unsure of what to do.

"There is nowhere you can hide, Black Dragoon." Ben smirked. His Dragoon spirit glowed brightly as the world around them warped. The Black Dragoon watched fire suddenly surround him, coming from nowhere. Suddenly, he could no longer say he was in the arena. He seemed to be in an endless red void with swirls of Dragoon colors about.

"What is this?" The Black Dragoon demanded.

"The Fire Realm." Ben answered smugly. "An artificial reality created by the Red-Eye Dragon to enhance my ability and force you out of the shadows. As you can see, there is no places dark enough for you to hide in."

The Black Dragoon looked around and saw that he was right. The fiery glow of this realm made it impossible to hide in.

"Now," Ben continued, "Let's see if you can fight me man-to-man. Somehow, I think you're afraid to."

The Black Dragoon scoffed. "I fear nothing."

"You will." Ben launched a fireball at his foe and the Black Dragoon dodged it. He jumped over the next one and rushed to meet Ben in combat.

The Black Dragoon jumped to Ben with his left blade outstretched. Ben smacked the blade away with his own as he stepped back, and then blocked there other one. The Black Dragoon swung many times with his dual blades, but Ben's speed kept him alive as he blocked every single one. However, it was difficult for Ben to make any offensive attempt due to his full concentration on defense.

Ben finally got a break when the Black Dragoon tried a dark slash. He blocked the swipe, but was pushed back a bit. Ben then leapt at his enemy with a blazing blade and it took the defense of both of the Black Dragoon's blades to block the power of the strike. Ben was able to get his knee under his foe's arms and get him in the ribs, then jump back and extend his foot out to kick him in the face. The Black Dragoon stumbled, but caught himself in time to block Ben's next assault and flip over him.

Ben jumped away and fired a series of fireballs, none of which got past the enemy's blades. The Black Dragoon created his own dark ray and fired it. Ben put up his blade and took the hit, receiving minimal damage. Ben tossed his sword in the air and created a massive fireball in front of himself.

"Flameshot!" He punched the fireball into his foe. The Black Dragoon jumped away, but still felt the scorching heat from the explosion. He rolled and fired again, failing once more. Ben's shot forward, his sword extended. The Black Dragoon jumped over the attack and shot his blade down the pierce Ben's side, but Ben foresaw this and smacked the blade away, but had to take the slice on the cheek from the other sword.

The slice made Ben lose focus and he crash-landed, then rolled away from the Black Dragoon's stab and swung his foot over himself, kicking his foe in the head. Ben was able to jump back up and swing his blade down, but the Black Dragoon blocked with both blades then jumped up and kicked Ben's head, then swung his other foot around to do the same.

Ben rolled with the impact and blocked the two-sword strike. With a fiery burst, he knocked his foe away and charged at him. Swords clashed once more and Ben relied on his speed to keep himself alive from the dual sword attacks. He was going to have to remove one of the blades.

Ben kicked off the Black Dragoon to get some distance and poured his magic power into his arms and sword. The Black Dragoon charged, but Ben jumped to the side, and then struck. He turned his blade to the flat side, then reeled back and swung the katana like a bat.

"BOMBBLADE!" Ben's attack created an explosive force within his sword, so when he struck the Black Dragoon, there was a great blast and the he flew across the fire realm. Sure enough, the force was enough to knock one of the blades out of his hand. Ben used another Flameshot attack to destroy it.

As he flew, the Black Dragoon suddenly hit something and fell to the ground. He regained his perspective of the world and saw that one of his blades was gone, then saw it be destroyed. But what interested him more was what he hit.

"A wall?" He felt it with his hands, and then began furiously pounding on it with his remaining blade. He made absolutely no mark on the barrier.

"That won't work." Ben assured him. "The Red-Eye Dragon controls who comes in and out of here." The spirit shimmered.

The Black Dragoon turned back around. "So to get out, I must dispose of you."

"Exactly."

"Fine then. DIE!"

With dark speed, the Black Dragoon rushed at him, knocking him backwards. Ben regained composure and blocked the next few strikes. Now that the weapon count was equal, Ben could get in a few offensive strikes. The Black Dragoon was also pretty fast, so he too was able to block every strike against him.

The Black Dragoon's blade glowed black and he swung a mighty downward blow. Ben turned his blade to the flat side and supported it with his hand and braced himself, taking the weight of the blow into his legs, but doing so suddenly left his legs and hand numb. The Black Dragoon spun around, swinging a backhand strike towards Ben. He put his arm up in defense, but in this weakened state, he couldn't put up a proper defense and the line of spikes on the Black Dragoon's glove sliced his arm. He punched Ben's face, then kicked him down and stabbed downward.

Ben rolled away and blocked another swipe, then fired a hot ray from his eyes, singing the Black Dragoon's face and giving himself time to stand back up. Their blades clashed again and their faces were close.

"Somehow," The Black Dragoon spoke. "I thought this world would give you an advantage, Fire Dragoon!"

Ben smirked. "Actually, it was just for eliminating yours." He backflipped, kicking the Black Dragoon in the face, then rocketed forward, ramming his foe with a head butt, knocking him into the wall. Ben kicked off him and flipped back onto his feet.

The Black Dragoon pulled himself back to his feet and got his next move ready, pouring dark energy into his blade. Ben jumped into the air and swung down. The Black Dragoon put his blade up and supported it with his hand, bracing his legs.

"Reversal Shield!" He declared. When Ben's blade struck that of the Black Dragoon, there was a bright flash and the strength of the attack was somehow repelled and shot back through Ben's body, knocking him out of the sky and causing his katana to slip from his hand. The Black Dragoon ran up and kicked him in the air, then swung at him when he landed. Ben was just able to move away and feel the very edge of the blade. The Black Dragoon fired a dark wave, knocking Ben a good distance away.

The Black Dragoon chuckled. "As you can see, I have more than one trick up my sleeve. But now, this isn't fair, is it?" he stuck his blade into the ground. "There. That should even the odds."

It was a fist fight now. Ben suddenly felt a burst of confidence. The Black Dragoon charged at him. Ben chuckled. This guy had no idea who he was messing with.

A few seconds before taking the hit, Ben suddenly jumped up and charged like a bull towards the Black Dragoon. Their strengths collided and Ben plowed _right through_ the Black Dragoon, with hardly a hindrance. The Black Dragoon fell and rolled, stunned and amazed by the strength of Ben's charge.

Ben stopped himself and turned around. "Captain of the football team." He smiled. The Black Dragoon catapulted up, and then jumped into a kick. Ben moved away and squared off with his opponent. The Black Dragoon kicked and Ben ducked, and then charged again, knocking him to the ground. His opponent tried forcing himself free, but Ben grabbed him, flipped him, and slammed him into the ground, then grabbed him in a headlock.

"Captain of the wrestling team, too."

The Black Dragoon turned his arm and cut Ben's face with the blade on the glove. Stunned, Ben released him and jumped back before receiving the spinning kick. The Black Dragoon ran again and this time performed a backflip kick, knocking Ben's head back, then jumped and planted a two-foot kick on Ben's chest, causing him to stumble.

As his opponent charged again, Ben allowed himself to fall backwards to an extent. He fell back and landed on his hands, lifting his feet into the air and kicked the Black Dragoon square in the sternum, and used the impact to flip backwards and back onto his feet.

Furious, the Black Dragoon fired a black beam, stunning Ben long enough to get in a spinning kick. Ben took the hit and blocked the next with his arm, then swung his own kick, getting the Black Dragoon in the ribs, then swung the kick higher to hit the head.

The Black Dragoon shot forward, delivering a low punch to Ben's gut, and then swung the fist back up to get Ben's face and kicked him backwards. When he tried to attack again, Ben let out a roar, shooting a stream of fire into his opponent's face. The Black Dragoon bellowed in the heat and stumbled back. Ben created a great fireball.

"FLAMESHOT!" He punched the fireball into The Black Dragoon, not five feet from him. Taking the full force of the blast, the Black Dragoon was knocked across the battlefield.

Ben rushed in for a sliding kick, but he Black Dragoon suddenly flailed over him, shooting a black ball as he went. He ran after Ben and sliced his face again with his blades and Ben shot his foot up to kick him in the gut, then catapulted up and slammed his fists down on his foe. Ben bashed the Black Dragoon in the face with his knee and tackled him, pinning him to the ground.

However, the Black Dragoon's Dragoon Spirit glowed, creating a great explosion, knocking Ben off of himself. The Black Dragoon rolled away before getting slammed by Ben's landing.

They both stood, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Then, the Red-Eye Dragon spoke in Ben's mind.

_Well, well…this ought to be interesting._

With that, a hole opened in the ceiling of the fire realm and a great, purple thunderbolt lanced down through it, striking the Black Dragoon hard.

Brad flew into the fire realm and stood next to Ben. He had a Healing Fog in his hand, which he shattered at Ben's feet. Ben breathed in the sweet fog and felt his strength return.

"Nice to have you back." Ben panted.

Brad gave a thumbs-up.

The Black Dragoon hopped back to his feet. "So, the Thunder Dragoon has recovered. Be careful! Don't want to overcharge yourself!" He cackled.

Brad's eyes narrowed. "I'll show you overcharge…" He ran at the Black Dragoon and backflipped to kick his face, but his foe jumped backwards to avoid it and kicked him in the chest. Brad fell onto his back, just as he wanted.

The Black Dragoon was going to attack again, but suddenly, Brad's legs clamped onto his waist. Brad pulled himself up and grabbed the Black Dragoon's head and began filling it with electricity of an extreme voltage.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" The evil warrior wailed. After a moment, Brad kicked off of the Black Dragoon's chest and landed on his feet again. Before the evil one could even think of his next move, Brad's Dragoon spirit glowed again.

"Atomic Mind!" A large thunderbolt struck down and held onto him for a moment. Ben assessed the situation and launched a flamethrower attack from his hands. The Black Dragoon was in a world of pain with both attacks clinging to him. Finally, a grand explosion burst where he floated.

The two good Dragoons fell to the ground, breathing heavily from the use of power. The Black Dragoon found it painful to even move, but he was able to get himself onto a knee.

"Not…possible…" He whispered.

_Having trouble?_

That voice!

"Help…me…"

The voice in his head chuckled. _Just call on me…_

The Black Dragoon nodded. "Black…Dragon…come to me!"

Brad cocked his head. "Did he just say what I think he said!"

The Black Dragoon's Spirit glowed brightly. A black force surrounded the area in which he stood. Black mist shrouded him from their sight. The darkness grew and intensified.

_Now we may get a good look at our foe._ The Red-Eye Dragon pointed out.

Soon enough, the black essence began to take on a form. It was big, it was black, it was armed with razor-sharp claws, a long, powerful tail, rows of blades along is body, and deadly jaws under its evil, red eyes. The Black Dragon had a strange effect. Something about that dragon just screamed "evil" in great, big letters. It had a haunting presence about it and a malicious face. Its eyes alone spoke volume about the blackness burning in that creature's heart, not to mention the dripping fangs and curved claws, or the sinister smile the dragon seemed to have. It let out a noise that the other Dragoons swore was a low chuckle.

The Black Dragoon stood atop the Black Dragon's head, towering over his opponents.

"Ha, ha!" He laughed. "How do you like me now!"

Brad shrugged. "I still hate you."

The Black Dragon breathed in black fumes that seemed to emanate from his body and breathed them back out onto the Dragoons in a great, black mist. The Dragoons were overwhelmed by the power. Ben could no longer keep control of the environment around him and the fire realm rippled and vanished.

The Black Dragon let out another evil chuckle as it vanished, its scales merging with the darkness. Without warning, a great force shot Brad and Ben up through the roof. The Black Dragoon then took control of the situation. He grabbed them both by the throat and flew down to a river below Ulara's main streets. The water would put out the Fire Dragoon's flames and overcharge the Thunder Dragoon. He zoomed down close and threw them with all his might.

The Dragoons hit the ground hard. Ground?

The Black Dragoon stared. "What the?" The Fire and Thunder Dragoons lay on the dry, dirt ground, while the water that had been there a moment ago hovered around them. The river had parted! Before the Black Dragoon could think, the ground erupted below the other Dragoons and Mike flew out and delivered a great punch that sent the Black Dragoon flying.

"You guys wanna move now?" Brittany asked, emerging herself from the water.

"Brittany!" Ben chuckled. "Mike! Thanks a lot!" They jumped back to the air and Brittany closed the water again. They were still tired, so Brittany used her little bit of healing magic.

"Rainbow Breath!" A light drizzle fell and multicolor light illuminated from all around them, healing their pains.

_Ben._ The Red-Eye Dragon said. _This Dragon is unlike anything I have ever seen; I do not recall any such creature being in existence…but here he is. In any case, let's even the odds, shall we?_

Ben's Spirit glowed. "Red-Eye Dragon! Come!" Fire erupted from the ground and created a flaming vortex from which the Red-Eye Dragon made his entrance. The first thing he did was create a great flame to light up the night sky and reveal the Black Dragon. Both beasts hissed and roared, then charged at each other.

The Black Dragoon himself knew that he couldn't waste any more time. He had to get a spire and run. He charged to the teleportation station and reached for a spire. A bright, piercing light suddenly shone from all around, piercing his armor and burning his skin.

"AAAHH!" He bellowed. "What is this?"

Christie lowered the light a little so he could see her. She smiled and the hidden winglies suddenly sprang upon him, firing rays of light. Unable to endure the pain, the Black Dragoon jumped back out of the light with which Christie had surrounded the teleportation station. The winglies kept on attacking rapidly, dealing major damage.

The Black Dragon suddenly turned its head around, and then jumped away from the Red-Eye Dragoon. The dragon flew over to the Black Dragoon, grabbed it in its jaws, and flew away into the darkness, chased for a bit by the winglies and the Red-Eye Dragon. They all stopped quickly after, though. The winglies began cheering.

The Red-Eye Dragon turned its large head to Ben. "A splendid performance, if I do say."

* * *

"So did we win or what?" Melissa was anxious to know.

"I'd say so." Ben nodded. "He had to be carried off by the Black Dragon."

"Aw, I wish I could've been the one to beat him up." Melissa pouted.

Ben chuckled. "So, you're all back in action, huh?"

"Yep!" Brittany bounced.

"Christie refused to stay put." Charle chuckled.

"That so?" Ben asked Christie, whose hand he had not released.

"Kinda." She admitted.

"Every time I saw her," Charle continued, "She was sneaking in some white magic to cure herself, but it always used up her mental strength! Eventually, however, she got used to it. When she was cured, she insisted on helping the others, starting with Mike, who needed it most. Brad was well on his way, but she helped him even further. Then Brad decided to help Brittany." She gave him a sidelong glance of disapproval. "Although I would recommend other methods next time."

"What?" Brad asked. "It worked, didn't it?"

"What did you do?" Ben asked.

"Electrocuted her!"

Ben blinked. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Cuz Brad's a moron." Mike shrugged.

"Hey," Brad defended himself. "I was just getting the juices flowing in her brain, okay? She woke up."

"And…?" Charle further questioned.

"…and she had a headache."

"Big time!" Brittany scoffed. Then, she wrapped her arms around Brad's neck. "But it was worth it."

"But no luck on Sean?" Ben had to know.

Christie sighed. "Nope. I've been working on him, but I just can't break that barrier."

"Mm…well, at least our numbers have gone back up. Let me tell you guys what's happened since you've been out…"

* * *

Robert couldn't find Marian that day, so he went home disappointed. The next day was Monday. She'd be at school. He was surprised to see nearly everyone back in action. Christie had stayed behind to keep working on Sean. She absolutely refused to leave until he was better.

Basketball practice was harder than ever due to the final game on Saturday. He kept looking around to see if he could find her, but she was nowhere to be seen.

After practice, he was ready to just go home. He headed for the door when he heard her voice.

"Gonna have to do better than that on Saturday." She teased.

Robert turned and faced her. Her hood was over her head again. Robert ignored her comment.

"I've been looking for you."

Marian's smile faded. "Same here."

"Why did you run off?"

"I was scared…"

Rob sighed. "Marian, you don't have to be afraid."

"After moving a thousand times?"

"Because of your powers?"

"Yeah…every time I revealed them, we had to move…I don't wanna move again. You didn't tell anyone, did you?"

Rob bit his lower lip. "Actually, I did."

Marian groaned and leaned against the wall. She hid her face.

"Hey, don't worry about it!"

"Don't worry about it?" She exclaimed. "How can I _not_ worry about it? I have to move _again_ just when things were getting good!"

Robert saw the moisture in her eyes, though she tried to hide it. He looked around to make sure no one was listening, and then moved in a little closer.

"Look, I can understand why you have to hide your powers. People of today aren't ready for such a phenomenon. They're better off knowing as little as they currently do. Anything out of the ordinary happens and they freak out. They wouldn't understand…but I do understand, Marian. I know how it feels to hide from the world."

Marian's eyes were focused on his. "You do?" He nodded. "What do you hide?"

"I know what you are." Robert began. "You're a wingly."

Her eyebrows perked. "How do you know?"

"I've met a number of your kind in a place called Ulara."

Her eyes got wider. "You've been to Ulara? But…how? You're not a wingly!"

"Nope." Rob gave a cocky grin. "I'm better."

She raised a brow. "Come again?"

"Sorry. My kinda kicked the butt of your kind 12,000 years ago. Anyhow, you probably won't believe me, but…I'm a Dragoon."

Marian stared at him for the longest time. "Come again?" She said in the same tone as the last time she said it.

"I'm a Dragoon, the Jade Dragoon, to be specific. I control the wind."

Marian was still frozen in place.

"I know it's hard to understand, but…"

"You're…a…Dragoon?"

"Yep. And a pretty good one, if I do say so myself."

"A Dragoon?"

"Uh huh."

"As in a Dragon Knight."

"The same."

"You possess the powers of a dragon."

"Did something not click?" Rob had to ask.

"I'm sorry." Marian shook her head. "It'd just a little…hard to believe. If you're a Dragoon…where's your Dragoon spirit?"

"It was stolen from me. But you know that shiny green thing in the alley? That was it."

Once more, she was frozen. "I…I can't believe it! You're…you're a Dragoon!"

"Yes." Robert said again.

"That's…that's amazing!"

He shrugged. "You get used to it. Oh, and the others I've told about you are also Dragoons."

"So…only they know?"

"Yeah. Only them."

Her smile lit up again. "So maybe I don't have to move after all!"

Robert nodded. "Exactly."

Marian was bouncing where she stood. "I can't believe it! Ha, ha! This is incredible!"

"It is, but listen, I gotta go meet the other Dragoons. Why don't you come with me and we'll swap stories. We kinda have a situation at hand."

"Oh, okay!" Her smile seemed nailed onto her face, but Robert noticed something.

"Here." He pulled the hood off of her head. "Looks better that way."

She blushed.

* * *

"Wingly, huh?" Ben repeated. They were at the food court at the mall. They'd all introduced each other and shared their stories. "This may help us."

Marian quickly spoke up. "If you're gonna ask me to fight, I'm going to have to decline."

"Why?"

"I'm no warrior. My powers aren't that strong."

"What about in the alley?" Rob asked. "Magic was _radiating_ off of you!"

Her cheeks turned red. "Actually, that's an optical illusion. It's a trick I use to make an enemy think I have a lot of power."

"So then…how powerful are you?"

"What you saw in the alley is pretty much the extent."

Ben groaned. "Well…it's okay. We're all back in shape except for Sean."

"This Black Dragoon sounds like a lotta trouble."

"He is!" More than one Dragoon replied.

"If we knew who he was, this would be easier." Mike pointed out.

Ben snapped his fingers suddenly. "That's what I wanted to talk to you guys about! Melissa, he called you by name, right?"

"Yeah." She replied.

"But he didn't call me or Brad by name. He called us by our Dragoons. That may be a clue. He knows you by name."

"He also knows me by name." Robert said. "In fact, he called me 'Robbie.'"

"So he knows you both by name. What else do we know about this guy?"

"I've been thinking." Robert said. "My Dragoon Spirit was taken at some point during the basketball game. There are people watching the entrances to the locker rooms so no one went in or out. I think the thief was a basketball player."

"And another clue," Mike added, "Is that he has a thing for Melissa."

Melissa quickly shuddered, remembering the kiss, and how he'd licked her earlobe.

"So." Ben put the pieces together. "He's a basketball player, he knows Melissa by name and Rob by nickname. Plus, he has a crush on Melissa. Who does that add up to?"

They thought for a moment. Rob put his hand down on the table.

"Adam Young."

Melissa looked up him. "No way!"

"He fits every description."

"No he doesn't. He doesn't have a crush on me."

Robert laughed. "Yes he does! He can't get his mind off of you!"

Melissa was stunned. "Really?" She shook her head. "But the Black Dragoon has a completely different attitude!"

"Power changes people." Brad shrugged.

"No." Melissa couldn't believe it. "He wouldn't do that." Robert gave her a look. "Would he?"

All eyes were focused upon her. They all knew how power could change a person's personality.

Melissa stared, absorbing this. She looked down at the table, and then slammed her fist on it.

"I'm gonna KILL HIM!"

AUTHORS' NOTE: Hell hath no wrath like Melissa in a VERY bad mood. The tables have turned in favor of the Dragoons. It's time to face their enemy...in the next chapter. Only two left! What did you all think of this chapter?


	8. The Fall of the Black Dragoon

Chapter Eight: The Fall of the Black Dragoon

The Dragoons had a name. Now they needed an address. They decided against simply walking up to Adam and confronting him in school. It wasn't until Friday that they found where Adam lived. They were going to talk to him.

"We can at least ask him." Ben said. "Figure out his side of the story. Robert and Melissa, you two know him, so you should talk. I'll go with you for backup. Everybody else stay out here."

Ben turned and knocked on the door. He waited for a moment, but there was no answer. He knocked again. Brittany, as usual, got bored. She went to look through the window to see if anyone was home.

"Hey, I don't think anybody's gonna answer." Brittany said with a shaky tone.

"Why not?" Ben asked.

"Come see for yourself."

He did so and froze. "Oh, man." Ben went to the door and opened it himself, slightly surprised it wasn't locked. Near the door, there were two dead bodies, one male one female, obviously Adam's parents. They'd been slaughtered.

"Same plan." Ben said, trying to keep the calm. "You guys wait outside. We'll call if we need you." With a glow of his Dragoon spirit, Ben's sword appeared in its sheath. Ben drew it out and readied himself for anything. "Search the place."

They split up and each looked in different rooms. Ben rounded a corner to a slightly-open door. He opened the door slowly with his katana and peered inside with caution.

"In here!" He called to the others. They came to him and saw what he saw. Adam sat in a chair, facing a wall so that they were looking at his right side. In one hand as his Dragoon Spirit. The other hand was hovering hear it. His eyes were bloodshot and his hands were blood-covered. He had a disheveled look about him, as if he hadn't slept in days. The Black Dragoon Spirit shimmered a little in the hands of its zombie-like bearer.

"Adam." Ben said calmly. No response. "Adam, can you hear me?"

For the first time, he blinked. "So you've finally come for me."

Ben looked at his comrades, then at Adam. "Where are their Dragoon spirits?"

"Safe…nearby…"

"Adam." Robert spoke up. "What happened to your parents?" No answer. "Adam…did you kill them?"

There was a hesitation before he answered. "I had to…they were…interfering."

"Interfering?" Ben repeated. "With what?"

"My plans…our plans…his plans…"

"Whose plans?"

Adam did not answer that question. His ghastly face turned towards Melissa. "I know what you want to say…so go ahead and say it now."

Melissa's lip quivered. "You backstabbing little cretin…you wanted me…so you tried to kill Sean."

"I did." Adam admitted.

"And then you attacked my friends…my brother! I ought to tear your head from your shoulders."

Adam turned back to the Dragoon spirit and stroked it lightly with his free hand.

"What are you doing?" Robert asked him.

"It's the only thing that makes me feel better…it helps me forget the things I've done…the people I've hurt."

The Dragoons looked at each other.

"It speaks to me…" Adam continued. "It eases the pain…and makes it so that I do not feel the pain that comes after an evil act."

"It makes you heartless." Ben translated.

"He gives me strength…power…he promised me everything I ever wanted…" He took a deep breath, and then closed his hand around the Dragoon spirit. "I knew you would find me." He took a metal box from under his bed. "Forgive me if my clues were hard to understand…I had to be discrete."

_WHAT?_ The dark voice bellowed in his head.

"What?" the Dragoons asked.

Adam dropped the Dragoon spirit into the box and closed the lid. A bit a life seemed to return to his body. He took another box from under his bed, similar to the first. From this, he took out Robert's and Melissa's Dragoon Spirits.

"I took Robert's Dragoon Spirit because I knew it would help lead him to me…Melissa's I couldn't help." He held them out.

Robert stepped forward and took the spirits. He gave Melissa's hers and both spirits glowed again.

"I wanted to quit." Adam said. "But I couldn't…when I tried…he would stop me."

"Who is 'he'?" Ben asked.

"The Dragon…he speaks to me…and I do bad things." He picked up the box containing the Black Dragoon spirit and held it out to Ben. "Take it…take it before he can convince me again."

_What are you doing?_ The Dragon exclaimed.

"A Dragoon Spirit can only act through a vessel, right?" Adam asked them. "Without me, the dragon is powerless."

_FOOL!_

"I don't want to hurt anyone anymore…please…take it!"

The Dragoons looked at each other.

_Adam._ The Black Dragon spoke softer this time. _Why do you do this?_

"To be rid of you…to be rid of evil."

Ben cocked his head. "Who are you talking to?"

"The Dragon. He knows he is powerless without me…he's speaking to me."

_What will this accomplish? Do you think this will change things between you and them? Will Melissa ever look at you the same? Will she ever forget the pain you forced upon her? I do not believe this can be so. You will lose everything in this._

Adam shook his head. "I don't care anymore…this isn't worth the price it costs. So many people get hurt…because of me."

_And you can conquer your sorrow? _The Dragon scoffed. _Don't you even remember what you did not an hour ago? You killed your parents in cold blood. You know the effect I have on you. I change your mind. I am the only thing that helps you to forget the pain of duty._

"You make me heartless." Adam said, repeating Ben's words.

_Adam, if you do this, it cannot be reversed! You cannot simply gain my power again and try to make up for things!_

"Make up for things?" Adam's eye twitched. "You only make them worse." He slid off his chair and held the box out to the Dragoons. "Take it." He begged them.

Ben knew Adam was right. He reached out his hand and took the box. Adam's pale body seemed to regain more color and his breathing steadied. A small smile slowly slid onto his face.

"I'm free…" He let out a chuckle. "I'm free!"

"Brad said power affects people." Robert said. "I didn't know it could do something like this."

"So it was the fault of the dragon, not of Adam." Ben looked at Melissa. Adam looked at her too. His smile faded a little and he spoke to her.

"I…I know you can never look at me the same…not after I tricked you and tried to kill your boyfriend…but…I had to make things right…and…I'm sorry…I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you." He looked down at the ground. "Soon…soon I will fully remember what I have done…the people I've hurt…the people I've killed…but it's better to cry a river than kill more, right?"

The Dragoons were speechless. Adam's gaze returned to the floor.

_Well, well._ The Black Dragon spoke so that all could hear him. _Congratulations, Adam. You actually did it. When I first met you, I thought you were weak and that you would be easy to use for my purposes, but it seems I was wrong. You turned your back on the evil and faced your sins. You're a lot stronger than I thought. You've accomplished what most humans cannot do: you resisted temptation. You put your desires aside and made sure the lives of others were preserved. A selfless act, giving up your powers and facing the consequences. Very good, Adam._

Adam had to chuckle at the ironic compliment.

_But you're forgetting one thing._ The Dragon continued.

"What's that?" Adam asked.

With a violent fury, the box burst open on all sides and the Black Dragoon Spirit shone with intense rage.

_I OWN YOU!_

The Black Dragoon Spirit fired a dark ray, piercing Adam's chest and filling his body. He cried out in pain as the darkness enveloped him. The Dragoons transformed quickly, expecting the worst. The Black Dragoon spirit floated over and imbedded itself in his body. The familiar armor covered his body as he became the Black Dragoon once more.

But this time, the eyes on his helmet were glowing an evil red.

"Adam?" Robert asked. "Are you okay?"

"Adam isn't here." A sinister voice replied. "I'm in charge now."

"The Dragon." Ben said. "It's taken over him."

"It can do that?" Melissa asked.

_Impossible._ The Dragons told them. _No Dragoon Spirit can act on its own like that…what evil is this?_

Before they could further question this, the Black Dragoon acted. He shot straight up, right through the house. He saw the other Dragoons and rushed at them. A black wave scattered them, and then he went for his goal.

He fired a dark beam at Marian. As expected, she was instantly stunned by the attack and fell to the ground. He scooped her up and took off at high speed.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Robert shouted, flying after him. All the Dragoons joined in on the chase.

* * *

The Dragoons stayed on his tail for about two hours before he finally lost them in the distance. Nevertheless, the Dragoons pressed on to see where he might have gone. It was night now, but they could see by the lights of their Dragoon Spirits.

"I think he lost us." Brittany finally pointed out.

"I'm not givin' up!" Rob declared.

"Does anyone even have the slightest idea of where we are?" Mike asked.

"I don't know," Brad said, "But that looks kinda familiar." He pointed ahead.

They all looked and saw a faint, bluish glow up ahead. The dim light faintly outlined a ruinous area. When they got closer, they all recognized the location.

"Mayfil." Ben whispered. This was the location of their battle with Melbu Frahma about two years ago.

"You think he brought her here?" Robert asked.

"Evil guy, evil place, I wouldn't be surprised." Mike shrugged.

"Wait a sec." Melissa spoke up. They all stopped. "Look at this place…it's alive."

"It was last time too." Rob said. "What's the point?"

"But remember what happened when we _left_? The place died down, and _that_ was destroyed." She pointed to a tall tower in the distance once used for pulling in souls from around the globe.

Ben remembered very well that that had been the site of the final showdown. He and Sean alone had fought and killed Melbu inside that tower. But when Melbu died, the tower collapsed.

"She's right." Ben said. "When we left, the city died, but now…it's up and running again."

"How?" Brittany asked.

"It takes a great darkness to revive this place." Melissa knew this from Charle.

"Then the Black Dragon must have done it." Robert said. "That thing's evil enough, and you've seen what it can do. Its powers exceed beyond any normal dragon."

"You flatter me."

The Dragoons all looked around for the source of that voice.

"Where is Marian?" Robert demanded.

"She is safe." The Black Dragoon assured them. "But I cannot give away a location."

Robert pointed his spear into the darkness. "Tell me where!"

The Black Dragoon laughed. "You do not even know where I am and yet you try to threaten me?"

Melissa was already working on that. She found an irregularity in the dark void, against a tower. The Dark Dragon told the Red-Eye Dragon and he told Ben.

Ben launched a fireball at the darkness and the Black Dragoon jumped away, into another dark patch.

"Very good!" He laughed. "Very good indeed!"

A black beam shot at Ben, stunning him for a moment. Just then, a lightning bolt tore across the sky from Brad's power, illuminating the scene and revealing the Black Dragoon's presence. Robert fired his own attack and again, the Black Dragoon ran.

"Let's light this place up." Brad volunteered. He hopped to the highest nearby remaining tower. His Dragoon Spirit glowed and lightning began to dance across the sky, lighting up the battlefield. The Black Dragoon could now be easily spotted. He jumped away from various other attacks, and then finally took on the offensive.

He leapt at Ben, who blocked his strike with the flat side of his blade and evaded Robert's kick and Melissa's stab. The battle had commenced.

The Black Dragoon seemed to have improved in skill, seeing how it was the actual Dragon now in control. Adam didn't truly want to hurt them, but the Black Dragon did. They had to be cautious.

Even with his increased ability, the Black Dragoon had to twist and turn every which way to avoid being impaled by the Dragoons' attacks. There were six of them and only one of him, so the attacks were continuous. A blade here, a magic blast there, the Black Dragoon was sure to keep on his toes.

Brittany finally surprised him.

"Freezing Ring!" Ice magically shot from the ground, not only hurting the Black Dragoon, but trapping him within! Mike was ready for him. He charged and swung a might strike with his axe. The Black Dragoon put his blades up with all his defensive power in them. The blades clashed and the Black Dragoon's hands shook, the blades vibrating in them.

With a burst of power, the Black Dragoon broke free from the ice and flew higher up, launching a dark fireball at Brittany. He then turned his efforts upon the angry Robert. Rob spun his spear rapidly and the Black Dragon was lucky to have two blades to block all the blows, but one was filled with a wind blast, knocking him back a few feet into Ben's attack.

"Bomb Blade!" He smacked the Black Dragoon far away and Brad kicked him back even farther to meet with Melissa. He smacked her blade away, and then kicked her face. Melissa took the hit and allowed herself to spin and bring the back of her foot up to the Black Dragoon's face. From the corner of his eye, he saw Ben's blade coming right for him. He ducked down and took Mike's tackle, which brought him to the ground.

The Black Dragoon was able to wriggle free and jumped over Rob's flying strike and kicked off his back to get back into the air. It was at this point that he noticed that Brad's flashing lightning could not illuminate all areas and reverted to his old strategy.

Melissa leapt at him, but he suddenly moved to the side and vanished. When the lighting struck again, he quickly slid to another shadow and kept rapidly shifting positions as to stay out of the line of fire. From his hiding places, The Black Dragoon would fire dark energy balls at the Dragoons or slice at them when near enough.

Ben used his fiery abilities to try and protect himself, but the Black Dragoon moved far too quickly to be harmed by the flames.

"Let's try that fire realm again." Ben suggested.

_Negative._ The Red-Eye Dragon told him. _He will expect that and leave the region before I can fully expand the fire realm._

Robert decided to try something. His Dragoon spirit shone brightly and he thrust his spirit outwards and spun. The wind picked up and created a tornado-like effect. Mike got the idea of Robert's thinking. He picked up a stone and threw it at the Black Dragoon. The enemy tried moving, but the wind current pushed him the other way and he was hit by the stone and fell to the ground. The Dragoons jumped him.

The Black Dragoon was able to jump away and use the current to his advantage. He jumped with it and got better distance and could warp to better hiding spots. Robert was unaware and kept the wind going. Ben knelt down as not to feel the effect as well and then got a brilliant idea.

"Hey Rob!" Ben called through his Dragoon Spirit. "Don't panic, okay?"

Ben lifted his sword high in the air and let himself go. Fire erupted from all around himself and caught up in the wind, spreading into a great, blazing tornado extending to the sky. The Black Dragoon found himself right in the middle of a blazing whirlwind and was forced to take the pain.

The other Dragoons stared in awe at the incredibility of this attack. Soon, Robert could no longer keep the tornado going, but the damage had been done. Fire was spread around the battlefield and the Black Dragoon was charred.

Brittany had devised her own little plan during this. Her Dragoon Spirit shone brightly.

"Tsunami!" She declared and a great tidal wave appeared from nowhere, putting out all the fire and knocking the Black Dragoon off his feet. Word went around the dragons and the good Dragoon got out of the way. Brad made his move.

"Power Surge!" He lowered himself into the water and also released his power. Electricity swarmed through the water and caught the Black Dragoon, filling him with unknown pain. They heard sporadic bellows through the water and electricity.

When Brad could no longer hold his attack, he took to the skies again and Brittany dispersed the water. The Black Dragoon forced himself to his feet. Robert couldn't have this.

"Wing Blaster!" He launched a green bird of wind at his foe and Ben acted quickly.

"Fire Bird!" He quickly changed the attack name, blending his power with Robert's to expand the bird's wingspan, catching the Black Dragoon as he tried to run.

Mike whispered a plan to Ben and Ben agreed. Mike slammed his axe into the ground and yanked it back up, creating a great stream of earth. At the same time, Ben poured his fire power into the ground, so when the earth erupted, it did so with volcanic fury, launching the Black Dragoon high into the sky.

Melissa finally made her move. She flew up to where the Black Dragoon ended up and expelled her dark speed, launching out a great number of rapier stabs at a great speed. She finally jumped back and shouted, "Astral Drain!" She threw her sword at the Black Dragoon and it stuck into his chest. His remaining energy was drawn from him and into Melissa, which she gladly shared with her companions. The Black Dragoon fell from the sky and hit the ground hard. The Dragoons gathered around and saw that he could barely move.

"Let Adam go." Melissa demanded of the dragon. They heard an evil chuckle.

"Black Rebirth!" His body was surrounded in an eerie blackness. His body was restored quickly, as was his energy. It seemed they would have to go another few rounds.

"I grow tired of this fighting!" The Black Dragoon hissed. "See my true form!" The Black Dragoon Spirit glowed black once more as the darkness filled the area around the Black Dragoon. Somehow, the Black Dragoon was able to separate itself and stay as one. The Black Dragoon was still up and able while the Black Dragon emerged.

The Black Dragoon stood atop the Black Dragon's head. The Dragon leaned its head down to the Dragoons and let out a mighty roar.

WHAM!

The Divine Dragon fell from the sky, got right in the face of the Black Dragoon and let out an incredible roar the shook the very earth. The Divine Dragon leaned in close so that Sean could also lean close to the Black Dragoon.

"Mine's bigger." Sean grinned.

The Black Dragoon froze in utter terror. Then, he saw Christie in her Dragoon armor, sitting on the Divine Dragon's head behind Sean, legs crossed with a smile on her face. She gave a childish wave to the Black Dragoon.

Sean crossed his arms as the Divine Dragon lifted its head back up, a good deal greater than the Black Dragon.

"Didn't expect me to see me, did you?" Sean asked him.

"In honesty, no, I didn't." The Black Dragoon seethed. "How did you do it?"

"I didn't do it." Sean admitted. He pointed to Christie. "She did."

"Impossible." The Black Dragoon scoffed. "There is no way she could have broken that coma."

"Oh, it's a funny story, actually." Sean chuckled.

* * *

Christie knew that Charle would be preoccupied for the rest of the day, so she knew this was the time to act. Charle had tried, but could not lift this strange darkness lingering in Sean's brain. Christie knew in her heart that she was the only one who could help Sean for her powers of light exceeded those of any other creature. The problem was unlocking them.

Christie had been straining herself for a while, but nothing had happened yet. Charle constantly warned her of the dangers of expelling such power, but Christie would not and could not sit still and do nothing. She was determined to bring Sean back-for more than one reason.

Upon entering, Christie saw a sight she had seen many times already. Sean was not lying perfectly still, as one would expect. Rather, his hands were twitching, his breathing was sporadic, his pulse was high, and his body wriggled uncomfortably.

Charle had explained this to her when she saw it earlier. Sean was having a nightmare. The odd thing was he had nightmare frequently it seemed. Stranger yet was that he made nearly the same movements in every nightmare. It was as if the same horrible dream was playing over and over in Sean's mind.

Christie couldn't help but feel a desire to draw him out of this nightmare which constantly haunted him. She took his hand and squeezed it. "I'll get you out of there." She promised.

Christie placed her hands on Sean's head and her Dragoon spirit glowed yet again. Christie only hoped Charle wouldn't rush in and stop her again. Christie fired her white magic into Sean's head and once more began cracking at the barrier.

Moments passed as the light grew more and more intense. Each time she tried helping him, Christie found herself able to expel a little more energy than last time; her body was adapting to the power. Unfortunately, it did not seem to be enough. Soon, her own head began hurting.

_I can sense your pain._ The White-Silver Dragon spoke softly. _It is too much for you._

"I can take it." She brushed the dragon off and poured yet even more power into Sean's body. The pain grew, but she figured it was worth it.

_Christie._ The White-Silver Dragon spoke again. _You are only hurting yourself. The barrier is not falling._

"Then I'm not trying hard enough."

_You're giving it your all, but you are not making any progress. Keep this up and you too will fall into coma._

Christie ignored her dragon's warning and kept shining her light. The pain in her head would not subside; it only grew. She grunted under the pressure. All of a sudden, the light coming and the Dragoon Spirit stopped glowing.

"What happened?" Christie wondered aloud.

_I am sorry, Christie._ The dragon said. _But I cannot allow you to take a risk with such consequences. I will not allow you to continue._

Christie slumped down, defeated. "What do we do then?"

_Wait a moment…_

"What is it?"

_The Divine Dragon is calling me. He is trying to speak. Put our spirits together so that I may hear him._

"Can I hear him too?"

_Of course. We dragons can link as such. _

Christie nodded. "Yeah, that's what Ben said after he fought Melbu Frahma." The light suddenly clicked on in Christie's head. "THAT'S IT!"

_What's it?_

"The Divine Dragoon! Ben said that he was able to use the Divine Dragoon spirit through his own spirit and it amplified his own fire powers. Maybe it can increase our healing powers too!"

_It's a good theory. Let us see what the Divine Dragon has to say._

Christie put the two spirits together and quickly told her plan to the immense dragon.

_My thoughts exactly._ He said to her. _This will put the strain on _Sean's_ body, and he is very used to my powers. Let's give it a shot._

Christie put her hand around her own spirit and her other hand around that of the Divine Dragon. Her spirit glowed first, and then the Divine Dragon's spirit glowed. A blinding light filled the room and Christie had to turn her head as not to lose her own eyesight. The Divine Dragon let out a laugh in Christie's head.

_Pathetic resistance!_

"That's a good thing, I take it." Christie said to herself. It was. The Divine Dragon could see the black barrier shaking and trembling under the might of the magical blast. Pieces blew off and the barrier finally shattered under the might of the attack.

The light died down as quickly as it came up and Sean sprang up in the bed, eyes wide and breathing heavily.

"You're awake!" Christie exclaimed happily.

Sean looked around for a second, then jumped up and grabbed his sword.

"Okay, tell me the name of the guy I gotta kill for this."

* * *

"I used my Dragoon Spirit and found the other Dragoons here, so I came to check things out." Sean finished. "It seems they've done most of the work for me."

"Ha!" The Black Dragoon scoffed. "I was just getting warmed up!"

"Yeah." Sean laughed. "In a column of fire that I saw miles away."

Ben crossed his arms in satisfaction.

"Alright then." Sean continued. "You and me. Let's finish this."

The Black Dragoon hesitated. "Unfortunately, this body cannot leave the dragon's."

"Okay then." Sean nodded. He looked down at his dragon. "Big guy. Take care of the dragon for me, will you?"

The Divine Dragon hissed. Sean grabbed Christie and floated them down to the others. Melissa instantly jumped on him, arms around his neck.

"You shouldn't be so worried about me." Sean gave her a look.

"Shut up and let me worry." She replied.

Sean quickly changed the subject. "Alright. Tell me all about his guy and tell me quickly. The Divine Dragon will be done shortly."

"What do you know already?" Ben asked.

"He's a Black Dragoon with unnatural powers. Do we know who is behind the mask?"

"Adam Young." Robert said. "Basketball player."

"I remember him." Sean nodded.

"But it's not really his fault." Melissa said. "He was and is under the influence of the Black Dragon."

"Power changes people." Sean pointed out.

"No, this dragon took him over. That isn't Adam up there. That's the Black Dragon forcefully acting through him."

Sean thought this strange. "The Dragon took him over?"

Ben nodded. "This Dragon is unlike any we've ever seen. His powers are unnatural for a dragon. For example, he can revive and recover himself."

"Only the darkest of the dark can do that." Melissa told him. "So this dragon has some unprecedented evil power."

"Not only that." Ben continued, "But our dragons cannot sense him. To make matters worse, the Dragon Buster had nearly no effect on him. Even the Divine Dragon fell under that blade, so why wouldn't this one?"

"The answer is quite obvious." Sean said. He pointed to the evil dragon. "That's not a real dragon!"

There was silence in the group.

"Say what?" Mike finally asked.

"No dragon can do all of these things. I believe that is some powerful evil in the form of a dragon."

"But…" Brad spoke up. "What about the Dragoon?"

Sean shook his head. "Also a fake. The 'dragon' was able to act through him in the appearance of a Dragoon as to frighten and fool us."

Another silence.

"Wow…" Robert said. "He sure fooled us."

"I feel very stupid." Brad muttered.

"Don't worry about it." Sean said. "I have an idea to finish this right here and right now."

The Dragoons were interrupted by a great roar. The Divine Dragon had the head of the Black Dragon in its mouth. It held the evil dragon down with its claw and with a yank of its head, the Divine Dragon ripped of the head of the Black Dragon. Its large body fell to the ground and the Divine Dragon spat out the head. Surprisingly, the Black Dragoon was still on it. They seemed attached. After all, they were one in the same.

The body of the dragon vanished but the Dragoon stayed where it was. Sean walked over to the Black Dragoon as he got up weakly.

"Hey." Sean said. "I got a bone to pick with you."

The Black Dragoon seethed, but said nothing.

"Nobody attacks me without paying for it. But not only did you attack me, you attacked my friends. But you know what sets me off the most?" Sean's eyes narrowed. "According to Christie, you tried to get with my girlfriend. That, my friend, is a price nobody can pay."

Melissa turned to Brittany with a girlish grin. "I love the way he talks about me."

Sean continued. "You seem to want me out of the picture for a number of reasons, so I'll give you another chance. Fight me, one-on-one. Just you and me, fight as we are. No outside help at all."

The Black Dragoon considered this.

"Or," Sean said. "You can let us all gang up on you. You don't want that, do you?"

The Black Dragoon clenched his fist. "A duel it is! Alright, Sean. Come! See if you can master me!"

"Gladly." Sean said with a smile. "Let's go!"

Of course, the Black Dragoon instantly vanished into the shadows.

"As can be expected." Sean scoffed.

The Black Dragoon laughed. "Why toss out a system that works?"

Sean was silent. He slid his hand into his pocket and waited. Finally, he felt him coming. Sean acted.

He pulled his hand from his pocket and a great light suddenly erupted from his body, lighting up the atmosphere. The Black Dragoon was not only illuminated, but the light seemed to burn his very skin.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" He bellowed in searing pain. The light quickly died and Sean walked towards the Black Dragoon. "WHAT WAS THAT?" The evil one demanded.

Sean held up a white Dragoon Spirit. "White-Silver Dragoon spirit. It doesn't answer to me, but it acts through my Dragoon Spirit."

"Just a minute!" The Black Dragoon hissed. "You said no outside help!"

"I said fight as we are. I had this in my pocket the whole time. You didn't think I'd let you off easy, did you?" He fired a white blast and the Black Dragoon roared in pain. "You've ticked me off way too much for that."

Sean held the white Dragoon Spirit out and let it go. The spirit floated in the air and slowly floated closer and closer to his own until they touched. Light lit up the night sky, blinding everyone. Sean felt a great power flow through his veins and explode throughout his body. The Divine Dragon and the White-Silver Dragon combined their characteristics to create a new kind of armor. When the light died, all could see.

The armor was much more like traditional Dragoon armor than Sean's specialized form, especially his lower body, which had the armored boots and waist armor instead of dragon-like legs. The armor encasing his shoulders was tall and had a clear, crystal-like gem on the top half of each one. Sean did keep one very important thing about his divine armor: his cannon arm. His sword was now a simple broadsword with a perfectly clean blade shimmering in the light. All of Sean's armor was white and had a radiance to it. Sean looked himself over and seemed to like what he saw.

"Not what I'm used to, but it will do."

The Black Dragoon did not seem confident at all. However, he was very stubborn and stood to his feet, blades drawn.

"I fear nothing!" He declared.

"I can fix that." Sean said.

"DYAH!" The Black Dragoon rushed at Sean. Sean put up his blade to block one attack and his cannon arm to block the other, and then turned the cannon to fire a small blast at the Black Dragoon. The blast seemed to cut through his armor and burn his flesh.

Sean made the next move. He jumped high into the air and swung down with a glowing sword. The Black Dragoon held up his blades in defense, but the white magic embedded in the sword was too much and both swords were cut by it and so was a bit of his armor.

The Black Dragoon stumbled back, but wasn't finished. He jumped forward and swung a kick. Sean jumped back and it missed his head and blocked another kick with his cannon arm. Sean then put his cannon arm on the ground for balance and shot his legs up, kicking the Black Dragoon in the face. He landed and spun, slicing the Black Dragoon in the chest and leaving a visible cut in his armor.

The Black Dragoon swung another kick that missed and then punched at Sean. He ducked and moved away from another kick. The Black Dragoon gave another punch, and then swung his arm back to cut Sean with his blades. Sean held up his blade to block and the spikes were sliced off like butter. The Black Dragoon didn't see and swung his other fist to make the same move and Sean easily removed the blades on that arm too. The evil one looked at his armored gloves in shock, then back up at Sean in anger.

Yet again, he swung a kick. Sean ducked and whacked the Black Dragoon upside the head with his cannon, then put his power into his legs, jumping into the air and swinging a great kick to shatter some of the armor on his helmet, revealing his mouth and part of the right side of his face. Sean gave a few more slices, cutting him up some more, then jumped back for a real attack. The crystals atop his shoulders glowed and shot out a million tiny white rays, each piercing the Black Dragoon through and through. He let out a terrible cry and fell to the ground when the attack was over.

The Black Dragoon knelt there, panting heavily. His armor was beaten and broken, his blood dripped from his body and even breathing hurt.

Sean walked towards the Black Dragoon.

"A couple of things you could've done better. One, you should have killed me when you had the chance. Two," he pointed to Christie. "You should've killed _her_ when you had the chance. Three, you went after my girlfriend, a severe mistake, but you know where you screwed up the most?" He lifted the Black Dragoon's head with his blade. "You took the job in the first place."

The Black Dragoon spat on Sean's foot and he stepped back. The Black Dragoon slowly, but surely, pulled himself up to his feet. His Dragoon spirit glowed black and the evil power swarmed his body, restoring it. The Black Dragoon laughed.

"I cannot die." He said as his body became like new.

"I disagree." Sean said. He fired a quick blast at the evil Dragoon and then held his cannon straight up. Light came from everywhere and nowhere at once and filled his cannon with great light power.

The Black Dragoon knew this would be the end of him and lunged at Sean. Sean's sword arm shot up, deflecting the attack and sending him back in the air. Sean lowered his cannon and thought of a name for the attack.

"Purifier Cannon!" An incredible blast of white light shot from the cannon and covered the Black Dragoon in its power. The evil dragon inside bellowed loudly in incredible pain. With flashes of light, the armor dissolved under the power of Sean's cannon blast until only Adam's body remained, nearly unscarred. With one more white blast, the Black Dragoon Spirit flew from Adam's body as the boy fell to the ground.

Sean thrust his sword into the air in front of him and a thin, white ray shot out, striking the dragoon spirit in the pupil. With a roar of pain, the false Dragoon Spirit shattered in fragments of light.

With a flash, Sean's new Dragoon armor disappeared and he fell to a knee, panting. Melissa rushed to him.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah…just not used to that kind of power." He looked up at Adam, who was beginning to move again. "C'mon. Let's see if we can get some answers out of this kid."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: So Sean has finally returned and the Black Dragon is gone. However, this is not the end of the story. Adam has a few more truths he needs to tell. Find those out in the final chapter, coming soon! Reveiw, please.


	9. The True Enemy

Chapter Nine: The True Enemy

Adam's head was ringing and he couldn't focus. His body stung and felt rather numb. Still, he was able to bring his hand to his head and roll it to the side. When he opened his eyes and his vision came together, he saw Sean walking towards him, sword in hand. He quickly felt his energy restored.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Adam crawled backwards a little. "Time out! It's me! It's Adam!"

"I know." Sean said. "I've destroyed the Black Dragoon Spirit. You needn't worry about it any more."

"Oh…" Adam was relieved, but a bit drained of energy. "That's good."

"Yes." Sean pointed his sword at Adam. "But you're going to answer some questions for me, okay?"

Adam stared at the blade's tip, and then nodded. "Got it." The other dragoons gathered around to hear this.

"Where did you get that Dragoon Spirit?" Sean asked him.

"Well," Adam scratched his head. "It's kind of a long, complicated story, but here goes. A month or so ago, I was out of the country, staying with my uncle for a bit. He's an archeologist and let me come along to one of his digs. There wasn't much for me to do, so he let me ride around on a dirt bike. Well, the dig was in the middle of a desert, and before I knew it, I was lost. I don't even know if I was going in circles or what.

"Soon enough, I saw something that looked promising. I drove there and found some ruins, but they were nothing like the stuff my uncle was digging up. This place was really creepy and looked real dark, even though it was in the middle of the day."

Adam looked around himself. "This was the place I found."

"Mayfil." Sean told him. "Of all the places to stumble across…then again, I would not expect an evil Dragoon Spirit to be found anywhere else. Continue."

"Alright. Well, it gets really hot out in the desert, so I came in, looking for shade. Heck, the place was dark enough. Of course, I got curious. I began walking around, examining the place. The whole city had a strange vibe to it. And then…I heard a voice."

"What did it say?" Sean asked.

"It said, 'A human? Here?' I don't know about you, but cryptic voices in dark places scare me. I of course asked who was there. The voice just laughed. I asked again and he said his name was not important. The voice was kinda faint. I pointed that out and he said to follow his voice. I don't know why, but I did."

"Smart move." Brad scoffed.

"Anyway," Adam continued, "I follow him to the remains of some building-kinda different from the others, but I don't know why. The voice was clearer there. He asked my name and I told him. It was really strange. He just began trying to small talk with me. I finally asked who he was again and he said again that the name wasn't important, but he said he was a being of great power. I asked him to show himself, but he said he couldn't. Something about being trapped."

"Trapped?" Brittany asked.

"I'm not sure how it works, but he actually asked for my help. I didn't like the feeling I was getting from this guy, so I asked him why I should help. He said he could make my dreams come true in return. Again, I was skeptical, but curious." He hesitated.

"What happened next?" Sean asked.

"He, um…he asked what my greatest desire was."

"And you told him what?"

He hesitated again.

"Spill it."

"I told him…my greatest desire…was to have Melissa O'Riley at my side…"

All eyes of course turned to Melissa, who wasn't sure what to feel anymore.

"What did the voice say?" Sean inquired further.

"He said, 'You speak as thought that desire cannot be fulfilled.' I said, 'Not really.' He asked why and I said 'Because she has a boyfriend, Sean McMann.' Then he got all weird."

"Weird?" Sean repeated.

"Yeah. I just suddenly felt this chill run up my spine and the guy got real silent. He asked your name again and I repeated it. Then…he started laughing. Well, chuckling, really. He said he couldn't believe it."

"Believe what?"

"I'm still not sure." Adam shrugged. "He was real mysterious, but it was obvious he knew you or something. He said you were a bigger threat than I realized and he told me all about the Dragoons and stuff. Then, he told me to wait a minute. I heard a sound…it was like somebody straining really hard. Then, a column of black smoke came from out of the ground in front of me. When the smoke settled, there was the Black Dragoon Spirit. He told me to pick it up, so I did."

"If he told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?" Christie had to ask.

Adam shrugged. "I dunno. Anyhow, the thing shimmered in my hand and transformed me into a Dragoon. The voice told me all about my powers and stuff and said I could use it at my will, for whatever I want. He said I would find a way to make my dreams come true."

"And you listened to him." Sean finished.

Adam nodded. "I figured I had nothing to lose. I asked him why he did this for me and he said 'because I believe in a potential for humans.' Whatever that means."

"It means he believes in a potential for humans to abuse power."

"That makes sense…"

"Who do you think this guy is?" Mike asked.

"I don't know." Sean said.

"Do you think…" Melissa offered. "Maybe…Melbu Frahma?"

Sean sighed. "In this place, I wouldn't be surprised." He looked at Adam again. "What did you do next?"

"Well, I used my flight ability to find my uncle, then I drove there on the bike and just told him I got lost. I went back home a few days later, and you know the rest."

"What about the wingly spire?" Ben wanted to know. "Why did you steal that?"

"I began using my powers randomly, seeing all I could do. Finally, I came back here to talk to the voice again. I told him how fascinated I was with my powers and all that and he seemed pleased. Then, he asked for a favor. He wanted to come back to this world, but he couldn't do so on his own. He needed wingly power to bring himself back. He said that a wingly device of sorts could help. For some reason, I felt compelled to help him. Probably the Black Dragon messing with my head."

"It was no real dragon." Sean said. "It was a way of getting into your head. The voice you keep talking about used it to have a vessel to do his bidding. That vessel was you. I think that 'dragon' was a fake created by that mysterious voice. A real Dragoon Spirit wouldn't shatter like that under my power."

"That would make some sense." Adam said. "Anyhow, I told him of Ulara after my encounter with you guys and he told me to steal two spires so that he could draw power from them and restore himself."

"But you were only able to steal one spire." Christie pointed out.

Adam nodded. "Yeah, but…" Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet. "The wingly!"

"Marian!" Rob spoke up. "What about her!"

"Wingly?" Sean asked.

"Marian McKain." Robert said. "Wingly girl disguised as a human. Kidnapped by the Black Dragoon. Nice girl, great looks, hair smells like strawberries-WHERE IS SHE?" The last part was directed at Adam.

"We have to hurry!" Adam said, seeming panicked. "I knew I couldn't steal another spire, so I talked to the voice and I kidnapped the wingly girl instead. He's drawing power from her to create another spire for his escape!"

Robert shook his head. "But he can't. Marian doesn't have all that much power!"

"He'll find a way to draw out everything she's got."

"He'll kill her!"

"That's why we have to hurry. Besides, I really don't want him to be released from wherever he is. C'mon! I'll show you the way!" He turned and bolted. The Dragoons followed on foot and wing.

Adam didn't have to lead them too far. "In there!" He said. "That big tower."

Sean and Ben looked at each other. "This is where we fought Melbu last time." Sean said.

"Then it could very well be him." Ben noted.

"C'mon!" When they got near, they could see that some strange activity was going on inside. They ran into the tower and made their way to the main room, a great room with a device at the far end for pulling in souls. In front of his device, there was the wingly spire. Floating on the other side was Marian, unconscious and being sapped of her powers.

"Marian!" Robert flew over to her, but before he could get to her, something suddenly forced him backwards and into the opposite wall. A few seconds later, the sapping stopped and Marian's body was tossed away. Robert extended his hand and his Dragoon Spirit glowed. A gust of wing blew up from the ground, allowing her slow descent to the ground. He then rushed to check on her.

"How is she?" Brad asked.

"Alive." Rob sighed in relief.

Sean then turned his head back to the main attraction. The second spire took on physical form from Marian's magic and was set in place near the first spire with the curved spikes facing each other. Magic began to sparkle and glow in the spires and with an unseen black force, magical rays came together and reacted brilliantly. Power swarmed around the site and a sort of portal globe began forming.

"Here he comes!" Adam warned.

"No he doesn't!" Sean replied. "All we have to do is destroy the spires." His Dragoon Spirit glowed and filled him with power. Sean extended his hands and fired a beam at each spire. A black force field surrounded them and his power couldn't go through. Sean fired even stronger beams and began pressing hard against them.

_Sean…_

Sean stopped his power flow, startled at hearing his name, yet not knowing who said it.

"That's him." Adam informed.

_Sean…_

Sean decided to respond. "Who are you?" He demanded. "And how do you know me?"

The voice let out a low chuckle. _Don't you recognize my voice? I was sure you would have it memorized by now…_

Realization began to dawn upon Sean as he put a face with the voice. His body seemed to tremble.

"Sean?" Melissa noticed him. "You okay?"

The voice laughed again. _I knew you remembered me…I can taste the fear in your heart._

Melissa ignored the voice, though each word sent a shiver up her spine. "Sean, who is that?"

_My, my, Sean. _The voice continued. _How you have grown! Not just in body, but in power as well!_ And then, the tone seemed to grow darker. _But have you grown enough?_

The spires glowed again and the portal began reacting.

_Have you gained enough power?_

A black spirit began to slide from the portal. It grew larger and larger as it took on form. The creature's voice became more audible.

"Can you finish what Anna could not?"

The figure's form was complete. It was the upper body of a humanoid figure. Its skin was midnight black. Its chest seemed to be armored, but then again, the armor seemed to have melded in with the creature's body. Large shoulder guards sat on either side of the creatures head, a sinister, twisted face with glowing red eyes and a malicious grin. Two horns poked out of the sides of the creature's head and curved such to appear as a jester's hat. His arms with thick and muscular with more armor along his forearms leading down to clawed hands.

"Can you defeat me?" The creature asked. "King of Death! The Mighty Zachwell!"

Evil power surged through the atmosphere at the mentioning of his name. Melissa looked at Sean.

"That's him?" She asked. "THAT'S Zachwell?"

Sean's jaw was clenched too tight to answer.

"Not exactly." Zachwell answered for him. "Unfortunately, this realm of light has grown to like me and will not easily let me leave. It will take some time for me to fully emerge, but for now, this is my form."

Sean knew Zachwell was not this large in real life. He was about the size of a tall man. This was just a large projection of the fiend. Even so, Sean recognized the demon. This was the creature that destroyed his life by killing Anna, his wingly stepmother who taught him about being a Dragoon.

Zachwell looked down at Sean and laughed.

"You have been running from me, but you haven't been running from me. I have pursued you, yet I haven't pursued you." He laughed again at his own riddle. "I have not left your mind, have I? A memory so terrible is not easy to lose."

"You took away everything I had…" Sean whispered.

Zachwell crossed his arms. "Indeed. Granted, it didn't end how I expected, but it was a simple side track. For ten years, I have been fighting, trying to escape and I was able to speak to that human." He pointed to Adam. "Speaking of which, Adam, we had a deal. You helped me escape…and I gave you power." Zachwell extended his hand and a black ray lanced from it and struck Adam's chest. A deep, dark power swelled within him as a dark red light shone on his chest. When the haze cleared, he was the Black Dragoon once more.

"Keep the others at bay!" Zachwell commanded him. "But Sean is mine and mine alone."

"Go on." Sean told Melissa. "Fend him off so I can deal with Zachwell."

She nodded and joined the others in combat. Zachwell loomed over Sean in the sky. "I see your mind…you are terrified." Sean would not respond, for in truth, he was. "I don't blame you. Few encounter me and live. You can guess the odds are of surviving the second encounter."

Sean brandished his sword. "I'd say they're pretty good."

"Feisty…how entertaining." He let out a low chuckle. "Come then…show me how far your powers have taken you."

Sean thought for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright." He put his sword away.

Zachwell raised a brow.

Sean extended his arms and fired a great beam at each spire once again, forcing power upon them. The spires glowed black and didn't falter.

"Ha, ha!" Zachwell laughed. "You didn't really think that would work, did you? My power is far too great for that. Only black magic can touch those spires."

"Is that so?" Sean asked. "Melissa!" She heard his call and flew to his side. "Attack the spires with your magic."

Melissa nodded and fired a black ray from each hand. The darkness blended in well with the black power surrounding the spires, but nothing happened.

Zachwell snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah! That's the other thing. Your black magic won't work; the spires will just absorb it." He snickered and swung a massive hand, smacking Melissa away. More dark light began surrounding Zachwell and he breathed it in. "Won't be long now. Once I'm free, you can I can have a little contest, Sean."

"I'm afraid I can't wait for that." Sean said. His Dragoon Spirit glowed brightly and his full Dragoon armor covered his body. He pointed his cannon at Zachwell. "Divine Dragon Cannon!" A great beam shot out and struck Zachwell right in the chest. "I'll send you back to where you came from!"

The black gem on Zachwell's chest glowed and a black force repelled Sean's attack, preventing it from doing any real damage.

"Ha, ha, ha! My turn!" He declared. He shot out his hand and a black beam shot from it. Sean ducked down and curled his six wings around himself for maximum protection. The attack collided with his dragon armor and pressed hard against it. Sean felt the great pain of the attack and could do nothing to stop it. Zachwell finally pulled his hand back and Sean got back to his feet.

"I won't fall so easily." Sean wheezed.

"I know." Zachwell said in a low tone with a grin on his face. "That's what makes this so interesting." Power swarmed in his hand again and he fired another black ray. Sean fired his own cannon once more. The attacks collided and pressed against one another. Zachwell's was winning, but then again, it couldn't get past a certain point. Sean's powerful cannon was barely succeeding in keeping the beam away from his body, and he wouldn't last for too long.

Meanwhile, the other dragoons were dealing with the Black Dragoon. They executed their plan perfectly and distracted him while Christie powered up. When she was ready, she nodded to the others.

Brad swung a great kick, knocking the Black Dragoon back and spinning him through the air. Christie drew back her arrow, took very careful aim and fired. The arrow stuck into the black eye in the middle of Adam's armor and released a powerful white magic into his body.

"AAAAHHH!" He cried out in pain. With a white flash, the attack ended and he fell to his knees. His armor was still intact, however and the Dragoons prepared for the worst.

The Black Dragoon stood to his knees, pained by the attack. He gripped his head and seemed to struggle for a second. Finally, he yanked off the helmet and breathed deeply.

_The darkness has weakened greatly._ The Dark Dragon said. _Adam has control of his own body._

Melissa floated down to him. "Adam? You okay?"

Adam nodded. "Other than the burning sensation flowing through my body."

"Good. We have to help Sean!"

Adam looked at the situation. "The spires. If just one is destroyed, the portal will close and Zachwell cannot get out."

"Then let's break one!" Mike suggested.

"Not so simple." Adam shook his head. "Nothing can even touch them except for dark magic."

"I tried that." Melissa said. "It had no effect."

"Maybe your magic didn't," Adam said. "But mine will."

Melissa cocked her head. "How can you be so sure?"

Adam lifted his hand and a dark force surrounded it. Not only dark power, but what seemed to be fire as well.

"My powers are slightly different from yours." He put his helmet back on. "This is my chance to set things right." His blades appeared in his hand. "Here goes!" He shot forward, aiming for the left spire.

Sean and Zachwell were still going at it. With a burst of energy, both beams stopped, neither touching the other. In the corner of his eye, Zachwell saw Adam rushing at the spire.

"TRAITOR!" He bellowed and sung his hand. A black force suddenly knocked Adam backwards. He hit a column and fell to the ground. He began getting back up.

Zachwell created a black spike in his hand and through it. The spike impaled Adam through the stomach and stuck him to the pillar.

"Gotcha!" Zachwell laughed.

Adam found himself frozen more in shock than pain. Breathing never felt so hard…

Christie instinctively rushed to his side to heal, but Sean called her over to him. "I have to help him!" She protested.

"There's nothing you can do for him! Get over here!"

Zachwell's status was improving by the second. He saw himself becoming whole again and his true body began edging itself out of the void. A clawed hand reached out from the portal.

"COME ON!" Sean commanded. Christie ran to him. "Give me your hand!" He snatched it in mid sentence. "Hang on tight. This may sting." His Dragoon Spirit glowed and hers did quickly after. They held their joined hands up and a blinding white ray shot from it, striking Zachwell square in the chest.

"DAH!" He roared. This one actually hurt.

"It's working!" Sean said. "Push harder!"

Zachwell hissed, and then smiled. "Do you think I could live in the light realm for ten years and NOT develop a resistance to the element!" He held both hands up and swung down releasing an enormous amount of black energy. Christie and Sean turned their attacks to repel the evil energy flowing from Zachwell's hands.

Melissa was beside the injured warrior.

"Adam?" She said. "Can you hear me?"

His breathing was labored and short. Blood flowed from his belly to the ground and along the spike imbedded within him.

"The spire." He was able to whisper. "The spire…"

"Is there any other way we can destroy it?"

"No other way…" Adam whispered. "I gotta do it now…" He lifted his shaking hand. A black fireball began forming.

"Can you?" Melissa asked him.

His hand shook uncontrollably. "Help me…" He whispered. Melissa took his arm and helped to hold it steady. He guided it to the left spire, completely unguarded. The fireball grew to full power and waited for release.

Melissa could feel his pulse from her grip. It did not beat steadily at all. He would die soon. And yet, he hesitated.

"Adam." She said. "What's wrong?"

"Wait."

Melissa saw Sean and Christie struggling against the black power of the great demon. The other Dragoons fired their magic rapidly, but to no avail.

"Adam! You have to shoot now!"

"Wait." He repeated.

Melissa looked again. Zachwell's true upper body was already pulling itself out of the void. He laughed vilely and the projection mimicked him. He kept one hand outstretched, pressing black evil magic against the two Dragoons. In his right hand, he drew his weapon: a long, black scythe with the blade coming out from a human skull atop the staff and a secondary blade at the base pointing the opposite way. The giant image of Zachwell spun the weapon in his hand, savoring the moment.

"Adam!" Melissa begged. "Please, SHOOT NOW!"

"No." he responded.

Melissa turned her head to stare at him. "What?"

"The other one!" He turned his hand to the spire on the right.

"What does it matter?" She was frantic.

"You want the wingly to live, don't you?"

Melissa didn't understand, but she steadied his hand again and waited.

Zachwell raised his scythe and let out a long, evil laugh, reeling his head back and cackling at the top of his lungs.

Adam shot the black fireball. Zachwell didn't even see it coming.

The fireball struck its target and exploded on contact.

"What?" Zachwell turned and saw the spire crumbling. "NO!" He bellowed. While he was distracted, Sean and Christie fired at him again, pressing him back into the light realm, which was already pulling him back in.

Zachwell fought against the white magic, but without the spire holding the portal open, he was being drawn in once again. The real Zachwell was pulled back in and the projection writhed in pain. He looked at Sean with an evil grin.

"I won't be in her forever, you know this! One day I will break free, I promise you!" He chuckled. "Who will save you then?" He cackled once more as the projection flickered from the lack of Zachwell's power. Even as his powers waned from the world, he laughed his hardest. "I'll be back!" And with those final words, the projection vanished and the portal closed. Sean and Christie fell onto their faces and the Dragoons rushed to meet them.

The remaining pieces of the destroyed spire glowed and dissipated. They became little flickers of light floating in the air. The lights joined together and flew to Marian's unconscious body. Robert rushed to her side and saw her eyes slowly opening.

Melissa turned to Adam, who could barely hold his body up. His hand still gripped hers.

"Adam?" Melissa asked.

"I…am…sorry." He wheezed. "For everything…"

She shook her head. "You saved us."

"I…had to. I had to…make up for what…what I did to all of you…"

Melissa lifted her hand up and slid the helmet off his head. He looked at her with sad eyes, but smiled faintly. Melissa touched his face and kissed his lips, allowing Adam the one thing he wanted most, just before he left the world. When she parted the kiss, he gave a very weak smile. His hands quivered, holding his weight up on the spike.

At last, they gave way and he fell onto the spike.

A second later, the foundation of the tower began crumbling.

"The city is dead." Sean told everyone. "We have to get out of this place!"

The Dragoons took to the skies and burst through the rubble as it fell. The tower collapsed as a signal that once more the Death City Mayfil lay sleeping.

Everybody hovered over the city. Everything was frighteningly silent. In their last battle, the Dragoon had rejoiced in their victory. Now, they stood silent in remorse.

Sean's face was solid. "Come on." He said. "Let's go home." He flapped his wings and took off. The other Dragoons did the same thing, leaving the memory behind them.

* * *

The next day was Saturday. The final game was that night. Robert wasn't nervous. He had bigger things on his mind. Today, he was going to meet Marian's parents.

Marian noticed his pace was a bit slow. "C'mon now. Don't lag behind."

"Can you blame me?"

"Don't be so nervous!"

"I have to be."

"Why?" Marian gave him a look. "We're not dating or anything." There was a bit of silence afterwards. "Just…think of it as a dragoon meeting a wingly."

"I still feel like Gaylord Focker and I'm meeting the parents."

Marian laughed. "You'll be fine."

They entered the house and both parents were in the living room, waiting. Robert noticed that Marian's parents both had their hair dyed blonde also, thought the father's was darker.

"Hi guys." Marian said. "Mom, Dad, this is Robert."

He gave a sheepish wave. "Hi."

"Don't look so nervous, Robert." The mother politely said. "We don't bite."

"I do." Marian's father from his chair said with a grin. "A Dragoon, eh?"

Robert nodded and his spirit shimmered a bit to prove it.

"So they're being called again, are they?" her father continued.

"That's right."

"When exactly did this happen?"

Robert told all of them his many stories. About meeting Sean, the virage attack, Melbu Frahma, The Black Dragoon, and Zachwell. Time flew by as his stories were told.

"Sounds like you've had quite a few adventures." Marian's mother said when he was finished.

"Uh huh." Rob nodded. "It's a whole lot of crazy, but I don't think I'd rather have it any other way." They all nodded. "What about you guys? What are you all doing here?"

"It is not all that uncommon for winglies to enter the world of the humans." Marian's father explained. "We were one of the families that decided to immerse ourselves into the human culture. In order to avoid complications, we've had to move many times due to one of us revealing our powers."

Marian pulled her hood over her head and pulled the strings tight, drawing a laugh from everyone.

"Yes." He continued. "Usually, it was her doing. It was ironic that the many moves took the biggest toll on _her_."

Embarrassed, Marian ducked her head down between her legs.

Marian's mother spoke up. "She ran into her room one day, just like that. Hood up and all. We all thought we'd have to move again, but to find that you were a Dragoon! Quite a strange fate indeed, wouldn't you think?"

Robert shrugged. "Winglies and Dragoons are kinda tied together in that way."

They all had to agree. Marian's mother had been folding laundry nearly the whole time they'd been talking and now picked up a pile of clothing.

"Marian, these are yours. Why don't you put them up?"

Marian nodded, took her clothing and went to her room.

"Now that she's gone," Marian's father said. "We can talk about her!" He chuckled.

Robert laughed too, not knowing they were serious.

"Marian has gone through some tough times." Marian's mother explained. "She was forced to hide her powers constantly. Humans wouldn't understand, you know? One difficulty led to another to the point where Marian could make little to no contact with anyone. And if she finally would make friends, we would have to move again.

"Marian has been very lonely for a long time, you see. She felt like she was being punished for being different. She became reclusive. You know the hooded sweatshirt she always wears, right? It was her way of showing how she had to hide herself from the world."

Marian's mother smiled warmly. "We're very glad you've met our daughter, Robert."

Rob cocked his head. "Oh?"

She nodded. "As you know, she could not let her powers be known at all because no one would understand. But now that she's found you, someone who also suffers the burden of a secret, she has someone to talk to, someone to confide in."

Robert nodded. "She started freaking out when I told her that I told my friends-also Dragoons-until I told her what I was. She seemed very relieved."

"It's a large weight taken off her shoulders." Her father said with a nod. "Speaking of which, I have another important thing to tell you."

"What's that?"

A wingly symbol glowed on his head and a white light glowed from his hands. Suddenly, Robert was lifted from his seat and levitated over to a few feet in front of him.

"If you should expose her, or any of us, I will kill you, Dragoon or not."

Robert blinked. "Okay."

"It has taken years to see a smile on my daughter's face and I will burn in Hell before I see it stolen from her."

Robert nodded, too afraid to say anything else. That was when Marian walked back in and stared at the scene.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"Ensuring your happiness." He said with a wink.

"Well…you can start by letting him down."

"Of course!" He let Robert down.

"Thanks, um…we gotta go now." She pulled Robert along. "C'mon."

"Yeah…" His eyes stayed fixed upon those of Marian's father even as he walked. Once they were out the door, the wingly man laughed.

"You are pure evil." His wife shook her head.

He chuckled all the more and put his hands behind his head.

"Was he threatening you?" Marian asked Robert outside.

"No, no. He was just letting me know that exposing you is bad for my health."

Marian put her face in her hands. "Agh! My parents!"

"They're just overjoyed that you're happy again."

Marian's eyes went wide and she stood in front of Robert to stop him.

"Happy?"

"Yeah."

"What did my mother say?"

Robert chuckled as he conjured a fib. "She told me that the first day you came home after meeting me, you were giddy and couldn't stop smiling and that you nearly cried your eyes out at the thought of leaving me."

Marian's hands flew to her mouth. "She told you that?"

Robert's eyes widened now. "No…I made that up."

Marian's face went pale. "Oh God…"

"Wait…so…that was true?"

She pulled her hood over her head and pulled the strings again, embarrassed beyond belief.

"It _is_ true!"

The hooded head nodded.

Robert scratched the back of his head. "Wow…I, uh…wow."

"Oh my God…" She muttered, staring at the pavement.

Rob chuckled. "Here." He loosened the hood and pulled it off her head. "It's okay." He chuckled.

"No it's not." She wouldn't look at him, but Robert saw that her cheeks were beet red.

Rob bit his lip. "Would it help if…I told you that the day we met, when I fell into the locker room, it was because I couldn't take my eyes off you?"

She looked up a little. "So I wasn't imagining it?"

"Nope."

She gave a small smile. "That helps a little."

Robert's hand hadn't left her shoulder. He still seemed to be fiddling with the hoodie, although there was no more to do with it. When he finally admitted he didn't need to continue, he still didn't remove his hand. His fingers took a few locks of her long, platinum blonde hair. Marian only smiled.

They stared at each others eyes for quite a bit. Robert couldn't help being mesmerized by hers. The wingly shimmer in them was very captivating. Before he knew it, he found himself being draw into her gaze. Their bodies leaned closer to one another. The distance between them decreased in size.

The Jade Dragoon spirit suddenly shimmered, catching Robert's attention. The dragon said something to him and Robert looked at Marian.

"Was that a spell you cast on me?"

She blushed a little. "Yes…"

"Why?" She didn't answer out of embarrassment. Robert shook his head. "You don't need a spell, Marian." He moved in to merge his lips with hers. She was startled, but welcomed the kiss and wrapped her arms around him. A second later, she broke the kiss and laid her head on his chest.

"It's like a dream come true."

Rob couldn't help but smile. "Why so?"

"I finally met a guy I can actually be with…and he's not just a regular guy, but the star basketball player…he could've had any cheerleader but he chose me."

"Ah! Speaking of that, the cheerleaders have an opening and I heard winglies are very graceful and…"

Marian shoved him.

* * *

Ben lay on the park bench, his head in Christie's lap as she stroked his hair. Brad and Brittany sat near them. Brittany's hand was also in Brad's hair.

"See?" Brad said. "People like my hair long."

Ben shrugged. "I really don't care. I still think you look dumb."

"Watch your mouth around my man." Brittany said, wrapping her arms around Brad's neck. Ben scoffed.

"You're just jealous that your hair isn't long and sexy." Brad mocked.

Ben rolled his eyes.

Christie soothed the situation by giving a light tug on Ben's hair. "Mm."

"What?"

"Perfect length."

Ben smiled. "I knew there was a 51st reason I dated you." Christie laughed and kissed him.

"So," Brittany said, "Authority is no longer in your hands. How does that feel?"

Ben let out a heavy sigh. "It feels great! Thanks, by the way, for nominating me in the first place." Ben gave her a dirty look. She stuck out her tongue. "Being leader is hard." Ben continued, "Every decision must be made by you; everyone turns to you for everything. I'm just not that kinda guy."

"You did fine." Christie said. "At least you rose to the occasion."

"By popular vote, not choice."

"Who else would we have chosen?" Brad had to ask.

"I know, I know, my Dragoon is a bit more powerful that all of yours."

"Not only that, but you're Sean's best friend, so you're with him a lot. You know the way he works and his strategies, so you're most likely to make a decision that he would make."

Ben had to give him that. "So, what, am I like the Dragoon Vice President now?"

"Yep." They all agreed.

Ben groaned. "I hate responsibility."

"Speaking of that," Christie looked at Brad's watch. "We'd better get going to the basketball game."

"Race!" Brittany jumped up and took off. Brad ran after her.

Ben took to a slower pace with a grin. "Now they'll be out of breath and I will enjoy myself on this casual stroll."

Christie put her arm around Ben's waist. "Sounds like an idea."

* * *

Melissa struck twice with her rapier, but the thin blade deflected off the flat side of Sean's bigger weapon. He pushed her back and she quickly caught her footing again. Sean swung, just as she'd hoped. She ducked and spun into him. Her elbow stopped an inch from his gut and Sean instinctively froze. Melissa reached back and pulled Sean in for another kiss.

Sean pulled back with a smile and a sigh. "You keep getting distracted."

Melissa stared at him. "And?" She kissed him again, longer this time.

"Okay, stop!" Mike finally protested. "Get a room or something, cuz this is getting ridiculous."

Sean smiled. "You're just jealous you can't find yourself so fine a girl."

Mike's face turned sour. "Dude, that's my sister."

Sean and Melissa just laughed.

"So," Sean changed the subject. "Ben took charge in my absence?"

"Mm…kinda." Melissa said. "Took charge isn't the right word."

"We kinda just put him in that position." Mike added. "He tried getting out of it, but we wouldn't let him."

Sean nodded. "In honesty, Ben was my choice to take responsibility in my absence."

"So it worked out." Melissa said. "Ben's still a little bit iffy, though."

"Hmm?"

"He doesn't think he did a good enough job." Mike answered. "Perhaps you should talk to him about it."

Sean nodded.

"However," Mike looked at his watch. "We should get going. The game is in a bit."

They put their weapons away and walked to the game.

* * *

The seats were packed with fans, all with high energy for the championship game. In the fourth quarter, everybody was squirming in their seats.

"He's doing well, considering the situation." Sean said. "But the opposing team has also gone a great job in preparing…"

"Shut up!" Ben said, eyes wide and fingers crossed. "No negativity!"

Sean raised a brow. "Sorry."

"We haven't won a championship in years. WE GOTTA WIN THIS ONE!"

Brad laughed, a bleacher below Ben. He turned to Brittany. "Hey, hand me some popcorn."

Brittany put a piece into her teeth and kissed Brad, giving him the popcorn that way.

Brad parted the kiss and ate the piece. "That was cool."

Mike kicked him from behind. "Sealing my idea."

Brad pointed to Brittany. "She did it!"

"But I can't kick her. _You_ I can."

Brittany smiled innocently, yet mockingly.

Mike shook his head and looked at Marian to his left, who was practically bouncing in her seat.

"You and Rob are pretty serious, eh?"

She blushed. "You could say that, I guess."

Mike turned to Melissa on his right. "Rob got into a serious relationship before I did. That makes me very, very sad."

* * *

Robert had received encouragement left, right, up, and down. This was the biggest game of the school year and everyone was rooting for him.

Still, he could not get his head wrapped around the fact that he was a teammate short.

The Dragoons reported the murders of Adam's parents to the police. They began a search for the murderer and for the missing Adam. They spent most of the day answering questions for the police, but were finally released that evening.

When Robert had arrived, he looked around the locker room at the other players and thought the room seemed a good deal emptier than it was. The coach was frustrated at Adam's absence, but simply made a few adjustments and that was it. Everyone heard about Adam's "missing" status and couldn't be angry, but they knew Adam was a good player.

Before the game, one of the players lightly hit Robert's shoulder and told him he'd have to play extra hard to make up for the absence. Robert took this to heart and used it to fuel himself the whole game.

And so, it came down to the last seconds. Rob's team was down by two. The coach called a quick timeout and gave one last speech to the team about how far they'd gone for this. Robert looked at the clock and saw that there were very few seconds left. This would be very close. They needed a 3-pointer and they needed it now.

Robert squared off with the opposing player at center court. They were of equal height, so it was a matter of who got there first. The ref threw the ball into the air. Robert jumped. Both hands smacked it and the ball barley moved at all. Both players landed and Robert jumped again, used to quick landings and jumps from flying so much.

He grabbed the ball and turned as he did to throw the ball to a teammate and block the opposing player. When the opponent jumped, he hit Robert, knocking him forward a few feet. Robert's teammate saw he was in trouble and looked for someone to throw the ball to. The first person he saw was Robert. He threw the ball.

Robert jumped to get the ball and saw that his blocker was just getting to him. Upon landing, Robert pushed hard off one foot to jump to the side and quickly put his other foot out to catch himself and shoot forward. The opposing player couldn't turn in time and Robert was free for a second.

Rob looked at the clock and saw that a second was all he had left. He took one long stride and, standing at full court, jumped. He put all of his strength into the outward force. As a result, the ball flew far from his hands, but Robert fell right onto his face. Rob heard the buzzer just before impact. He quickly looked up and watched the basketball swish in the net.

Fans jumped from their seats in a tremendous uproar. Rob's eyes were glued open and he could not move. His teammates grabbed him and lifted him onto their shoulders in celebration. He looked at the cheering fans and smiled.

"YE-HEAH!" He laughed, launching his fist into the air.

* * *

Sean had already invited everyone over to his house to stay the night and celebrate their victory in Mayfil, but now, they had a second reason to celebrate. They all had a lot of fun and stayed up late into the night.

Sean and Ben were the only ones able to stay up all night. Now, they stood outside on Sean's balcony, watching the sun rise.

"So that demon in Mayfil," Ben brought the subject up. "That was Zachwell? The guy who killed your stepmom?"

Sean nodded, solid-faced. "Yeah. That was him."

"Must've been weird for you."

"It was."

"What did he mean when he said you were running, yet not running and he was pursuing, yet not pursuing."

"It was a metaphor. I had been running from the memory, trying to erase that portion of my past. Zachwell knew this."

"How?"

"Like he said. That kind of memory is hard to put aside."

Ben didn't have the understanding to give an opinion.

"Somehow," Sean continued, "I never thought I would come face-to-face with him. I suppose I figured he would always be trapped in that light world. I never really thought about what I would do if he was to escape."

"Other than try and kill him?"

"Well, of course, but it isn't that simple, as you saw."

"Yeah. He was a tough guy. It's a good thing you fixed things before he got free."

"But there is something that still troubles me."

"What's that?"

"Adam said that Zachwell had been talking to him for a good while…this was before Zachwell even began his plan for escape with the wingly devices."

Ben raised a brow. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that somehow, Zachwell was beginning to escape on his own. Adam just helped him along."

"How could he do that?"

"Zachwell is an incredibly powerful creature. He even was able to give Adam his Dragoon Spirit. Zachwell is fighting tooth and nail to get out of that world of torment."

Ben hesitated, but knew he had to ask. "Do you think we'll ever see him again?"

Sean shook his head. "I don't know. I really don't know…and that is very troubling."

"Well…if he does, we'll fight him. We gotta, right? We're Dragoons. We may not win, but we'll fight to the end either way."

Sean nodded with an approving smile. "You're learning well."

Ben chuckled. "I learn from the best."

"So I have heard."

"What do you mean?"

"You were unanimously voted Dragoon Leader in my absence, weren't you?"

Ben groaned. "Oh yeah."

"Why did you resist?"

"Because I'm not cut out to be a leader."

"I think you are. That's why I've been discretely training you to be a leader, to take place in my absence."

Ben blinked. "You have?"

"I have. I wanted you to take my place, should something happen. You've got the potential."

"I don't think I do."

"Why not?"

"Well, under my leadership, Christie, Brad, Brittany, and Mike were badly hurt, and Robert and Melissa lost their Dragoon spirits."

"And that was your fault?" Sean chuckled. "Hardly. Christie fell in battle, far from you."

"But I sent her out there."

"She volunteered to go, and at that point, no one knew what we were facing. Mike was ambushed when he was alone. Brad simply overcharged himself while trying to escape from a mission he volunteered to go on and Brittany, I hear, was the victim of an accident.

"As for Robert's Dragoon Spirit, you couldn't have prevented that because you didn't know who the Black Dragoon was. Melissa was also out of your reach. Most of these attacks were sneaky and stealth-like. I don't blame you for one of them."

"I still think I could've done better."

"Ben, the best weapon you can enter a battle with is knowledge. Not having it is one thing, but having it taken from you is worse. For a time, you didn't even know what you were fighting. When you did find out, what you knew was tossed out the window."

"What do you mean?"

"You thought your Dragoon Spirits could spot the Black Dragoon, but they couldn't because his dragon wasn't a real dragon, which you didn't know. You also tried the Dragon Buster, which should have worked from what you knew, but it didn't."

"Yeah…"

"But you know what? Even without the weapon of knowledge, you bravely stood against your foe, and you know what? You won. You're not only intelligent, but strong. I am impressed with your progress."

Ben smiled a little. "I guess it wasn't so bad."

"And experience only helps." Suddenly, he swung a punch, bashing Ben on the side of the head.

"OW!" He shouted in a stage whisper, as not to wake the others. "What was that for?"

"Proving a point."

"What po-" Before he could finish, Sean swung again. This time, Ben ducked.

"You see? You're already learning from the past." Sean smiled.

Ben groaned. "Your object lessons suck."

"But they always have a point, don't they?"

"Yeah, I guess-_so!_" On that last word, Ben swung a punch at Sean. Sean shot his arm up and blocked the punch.

"I've been a Dragoon longer than you, remember?"

"Yeah…" Ben chuckled. They leaned on the balcony and overlooked the scene. The sun was peaking above the trees, lighting up the newborn day.

Ben took a deep breath and exhaled. "Well…a new day rises."

Sean looked at him. "Nice metaphor."

Ben gave him a look. "Metaphor?" He scoffed. "I was just being observant! It's way too early to be getting that deep, man."

Sean chuckled. "So you're groggy in the morning?"

"Yeah." Ben sighed, feeling the lack of sleep.

"Well," Sean picked up both of their swords, which he'd laid down nearby. He tossed Ben his katana. "It sucks to be you."

Sean jumped off the balcony-landing with ease, thanks to his Dragoon-drew his sword, and waited.

Ben groaned, drew his blade and jumped as well. He had a feeling that he was going to come out of this with more than a few bruises.

Then again, it was a bit of a relief to know that Sean was the only one that he was afraid he might lose to.

THE END

AUTHORS' NOTES: And that's how it was. So, there is our brand new story. How was it? Did you guys like it?

So then, Sean came face-to-face with his past, Ben rose to a challenge, and Robert found his softer side. Quite a few accomplishments, but the adventure of the Dragoons is not over yet. Spike has finally finished "Cataclysmic Reunion," his original sequel with several new twists that I think you will all love, if you like our series. He'll be putting it up on the net relatively soon, I assume.

Now, technically, Cataclysmic Reunion is the last chapter in our story. However...Spike has made me an offer. Long ago, I created another part to the story: TLOD: The Next Generation: Prince of Darkness. Spike and I got into a few arguments over putting it up on the internet, but in the end, I let it stay unknown. Now, Spike has agreed to let me put it up on MY name, not the joint name. That story takes place AFTER Cataclysmic Reunion and is kind of a "Lost Story," if you will. What do you guys think? Should it go up when Cataclysmic Reunion has ended?

Please Review one last time and vote your opinion. Otherwise, I am Archangel and I am taking a friggin' break. Thanks to all of our reviewers-we love you all and thank you for your wonderful support. Ciao!


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